Earlier this week, Rep. Henry Waxman accused the State Department of obstructing an investigation into Blackwater USA’s actions in Iraq. Providing yet another indication of the State Department’s willingness to stick its neck out for the shadowy security contractor, the Washington Post reports today that two career investigators in the office of the State Department Inspector General were threatened with firing if they cooperated with Congressional investigations into Blackwater. The whistle-blowers allege that State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard “has repeatedly thwarted investigations into alleged contracting fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan…and weapons smuggling allegations against Blackwater USA.” These new allegations bring up a disturbing question: why does the State Department continue to defend Blackwater at the expense of America’s security?

UPDATE: From Think Progress: “the Pentagon had issued a new list of contracts, including one worth $92 million to Presidential Airways, the “aviation unit of parent company Blackwater.”

UPDATE II: From Newsweek: “an extensive evidence file put together by the Iraqi National Police and obtained by NEWSWEEK—including documents, maps, sworn witness statements and police video footage—appears to contradict the contractors’ version of events. A confidential incident report, which has been provided by Iraqi National Police investigators to American military and civilian officials, concludes that the Blackwater vehicles “opened fire crazily and randomly, without any reason.”

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