Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army (84 page)

BOOK: Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
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106
Douglas Jehl, “Officials Won’t Be Disciplined for Actions Before Sept. 11,” the
New York Times,
October 6, 2005.
 
107
John B. Roberts II, “Chinese Mole Hunt at CIA; Agency Keeps Human-Intelligence Apparatus, Barely,” the
Washington Times,
October 14, 2005.
 
108
Blackwater USA Press Release, “Ambassador Cofer Black Becomes Vice-Chairman at Blackwater USA,” February 4, 2005.
 
109
The Black Group Web site,
www.blackgroupllc.com/services.html
, captured November 30, 2006.
 
110
The Black Group Web site,
www.blackgroundllc.com/about.html
, captured November 30, 2006.
 
111
The Black Group Web site,
www.blackgroupllc.com/contact.html
, captured November 30, 2006.
 
112
The Black Group Web site,
www.blackgroupllc.com/
, captured November 30, 2006.
 
 
 
CHAPTER 17
1
Transcript, “President Bush Discusses Early Transfer of Iraqi Sovereignty,”
www.whitehouse.gov
, June 28, 2004.
 
2
L. Paul Bremer III,
My Year in Iraq,
p. 395.
 
3
Transcript, “President Bush Discusses Early Transfer of Iraqi Sovereignty,”
www.whitehouse.gov
, June 28, 2004.
 
4
Scott Shane, “Poker-Faced Diplomat, Negroponte Is Poised for Role as Spy Chief,” the
New York Times,
March 29, 2005.
 
5
Ibid.
 
6
Carla Anne Robbins, “Negroponte Has Tricky Mission: U.S. Diplomat Is at Center of Debate Over Power of Iraq Envoy, the
Wall Street Journal,
April 27, 2004.
 
7
Jay Hancock, Gary Cohn, and Tom Bowman, “Contra-era Envoy Nominated to Be U.N. Ambassador; Diplomat Helped Hide Honduran Abuses from Congress in ’80s; Vocal Supporters, Critics,” the
Baltimore Sun,
March 7, 2001; Michael Dobbs, “Papers Illustrate Negroponte’s Contra Role; Newly Released Documents Show Intelligence Nominee Was Active in U.S. Effort,” the
Washington Post,
April 12, 2005; Robert Parry, “Negroponte’s Dark Past: The Case Against Bush’s New Intelligence Czar,”
In These Times,
March 28, 2005.
 
8
Jay Hancock, Gary Cohn, and Tom Bowman, “Contra-era Envoy Nominated to Be U.N. Ambassador; Diplomat Helped Hide Honduran Abuses from Congress in ’80s; Vocal Supporters, Critics,” the
Baltimore Sun,
March 7, 2001.
 
9
Scott Shane, “Poker-Faced Diplomat, Negroponte Is Poised for Role as Spy Chief,” the
New York Times,
March 29, 2005.
 
10
Carla Anne Robbins, “Negroponte Has Tricky Mission: U.S. Diplomat Is at Center of Debate Over Power of Iraq Envoy, the
Wall Street Journal,
April 27, 2004.
 
11
Ibid.
 
12
“Honduras Rushes to Pull Out Troops,”
www.CNN.com
, April 20, 2004.
 
13
Wil Haygood, “Ambassador With Big Portfolio: John Negroponte Goes to Baghdad With a Record of Competence, and Controversy,” the
Washington Post,
June 21, 2004.
 
14
Tyler Marshall, “Operation Limited Freedom: The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Is a Hub of ‘Extreme Diplomacy.’ All Moves Are Scripted, and There’s Even a Hostage Negotiator on Site,” the
Los Angeles Times,
January 22, 2005.
 
15
Transcript,
Democracy Now!
April 27, 2004.
 
16
Jeremy Scahill, “Mercenary Jackpot,”
The Nation,
August 28, 2006.
 
17
Michael Hirsh and John Barry, “‘The Salvador Option’: The Pentagon May Put Special-Forces-Led Assassination or Kidnapping Teams in Iraq,”
Newsweek
(Web exclusive), January 8, 2005.
 
18
Ibid.
 
19
Transcript, “Joint Media Availability With U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov Following Their Meeting,” Department of Defense Briefing, January 11, 2005.
 
20
Greg Jaffe, “Bands of Brothers—New Factor in Iraq: Irregular Brigades Fill Security Void—Jailed by Hussein, Gen. Thavit Is Leading Thousands Now; Questions About Loyalty—‘Toughest Force We’ve Got,’” the
Wall Street Journal,
February 16, 2005.
 
21
Ibid.
 
22
Ibid.
 
23
Ibid.
 
24
Peter Maass, “The Way of the Commandos,”
The New York Times Magazine,
May 1, 2005.
 
25
Ibid.
 
26
Ibid.
 
27
Michael Hirsh and John Barry, “‘The Salvador Option’: The Pentagon May Put Special-Forces-Led Assassination or Kidnapping Teams in Iraq,”
Newsweek
(Web exclusive), January 8, 2005.
 
28
Ibid.
 
29
Douglas Jehl and Elisabeth Bumiller, “Bush Picks Longtime Diplomat for New Top Intelligence Job,” the
New York Times,
February 18, 2005.
 
30
Robert Dreyfuss, “Phoenix Rising,”
The American Prospect,
January 1, 2004.
 
31
Ibid.
 
32
Ibid.
 
33
Ibid.
 
34
Transcript,
Democracy Now!
January 10, 2005.
 
35
Scott Shane, “Poker-Faced Diplomat, Negroponte Is Poised for Role as Spy Chief,” the
New York Times,
March 29, 2005.
 
36
Ibid.
 
37
Michael Hirsh and John Barry, “‘The Salvador Option’: The Pentagon May Put Special-Forces-Led Assassination or Kidnapping Teams in Iraq,”
Newsweek
(Web exclusive), January 8, 2005.
 
38
Transcript,
Democracy Now!
February 18, 2005.
 
39
Anthony Shadid and Steve Fainaru, “Militias on the Rise Across Iraq: Shiite and Kurdish Groups Seizing Control, Instilling Fear in North and South,” the
Washington Post,
August 21, 2005.
 
40
Transcript,
Democracy Now!
February 28, 2006.
 
41
Ibid.
 
42
Scott Ritter, “The Salvador Option: By Any Standard, the Ongoing American Occupation of Iraq Is a Disaster,”
www.aljazeera.net
, January 20, 2005.
 
43
Tom Lasseter, “Sectarian Resentment Extends to Iraq’s Army,” Knight-Ridder, October 12, 2005.
 
44
Patrick Cockburn, “Does Anyone in Washington or at Downing Street Know What’s Really Happening in Iraq?”
CounterPunch
, November 28, 2006.
 
45
David Brown, “Study Claims Iraq’s ‘Excess’ Death Toll Has Reached 655,000,” the
Washington Post,
October 11, 2006.
 
46
Transcript, “President Discusses War on Terror and Rebuilding Iraq,”
www.whitehouse.gov
, December 7, 2005.
 
47
Jim Warren, “Kentucky Buddies Are Killed in Iraq: 2 Ex-Soldiers Were With Security Firms Died in Separate Incidents,” the
Lexington Herald Leader
, April 23, 2005.
 
48
Liz Sly, “6 Americans Die in Crash of Helicopter: Civilians Employed by Private Security Firm,” the
Chicago Tribune,
April 22, 2005.
 
49
“Security Company Faces Loss of Seven in Iraq: ‘A Very Sad Day for the Blackwater Family,’” Associated Press, April 22, 2005.
 
50
Ibid.
 
51
Transcript,
ABC World News Tonight,
April 23, 2005.
 
52
Hector Gutierrez, “Coloradan Killed in Iraq Crash Trying to Earn Family Nest Egg,”
Rocky Mountain News
, April 23, 2005.
 
53
Ibid.
 
54
Liz Sly, “6 Americans Die in Crash of Helicopter: Civilians Employed by Private Security Firm,” the
Chicago Tribune,
April 22, 2005.
 
55
John F. Burns, “Video Appears to Show Insurgents Kill a Downed Pilot,” the
New York Times,
April 23, 2005.
 
56
Ibid.
 
57
Author copy of video.
 
58
John F. Burns, “Video Appears to Show Insurgents Kill a Downed Pilot,” the
New York Times,
April 23, 2005.
 
59
Thomas Wagner, “Militant Group Says It Shot Down Helicopter in Iraq, Killed Sole Survivor,” Associated Press, April 22, 2005.
 
60
Ibid.
 
61
Ibid.
 
62
Blackwater USA press release, April 21, 2005.
 
63
Transcript,
CNN Live From
, April 21, 2005.
 
64
Transcript,
CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
, April 21, 2005.
 
65
Ibid.
 
66
Transcript, Defense Department Briefing, April 22, 2005.
 
67
Emery P. Dalesio, “N.C. Security Company Faces Largest Death Toll in Iraq,” Associated Press, April 23, 2005.
 
68
Samiha Khanna, “Slain Guards’ Lives Recalled: N.C. Company Loses 7 in Iraq,” the
News & Observer
(Raleigh, North Carolina), April 24, 2005.
 
69
Steve Hundley, “U.S. Sends Soldiers Into a Meat Grinder,”
Austin American-Statesman,
June 11, 2006.
 
70
Samiha Khanna, “Slain Guards’ Lives Recalled: N.C. Company Loses 7 in Iraq,” the
News & Observer
(Raleigh, North Carolina), April 24, 2005.
 
71
“11 Die As Missile Downs Copter—Blackwater’s Black Day: 7 Employees Killed,” the
Commercial Appeal
(Memphis), April 22, 2005.
 
72
Blackwater USA press release, April 21, 2005.
 
73
Ibid.
 
74
Joe D. Morton, Acting Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director for the Office of Foreign Missions, Statement to Employees of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, April 22, 2005.
 
75
Transcript, Daily Press Briefing, U.S. State Department, April 21, 2005.
 
76
Ibid.
 
77
“11 Die As Missile Downs Copter—Blackwater’s Black Day: 7 Employees Killed,” the
Commercial Appeal
(Memphis), April 22, 2005.
 
78
Thomas Wagner, “Car Bomb Kills 8 at Baghdad Mosque; Militant Group Says It Killed Survivor of Copter Crash,” Associated Press, April 22, 2005.
 
79
Emery P. Dalesio, “N.C. Company Loses Seven in Iraq,” Associated Press, April 23, 2005.
 
 
 
CHAPTER 18
1
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform Minority Staff Special Investigations Division, “Halliburton’s Questioned and Unsupported Costs in Iraq Exceed $1.4 Billion,” June 27, 2005.
 
2
Ibid.
 
3
David Firestone, “Senate Votes to Require Open Bidding on Contracts,” the
New York Times,
October 3, 2003.
 
4
Bloomberg News, “Pentagon Official Sees No Gouging,” the
Houston Chronicle,
July 2, 2004.
 
5
Joseph Schmitz, “Improving Oversight at Defense; Mission Drives Overhaul of IG’s Office,”
Federal Times,
September 8, 2003; Department of Defense biography of Joseph Schmitz,
www.defenselink.mil/bios/
schmitz_bio.html.
 
6
T. Christian Miller, “Pentagon Investigator Resigning: Joseph E. Schmitz, the Defense Department’s Inspector General, Is Suspected of Blocking Investigations of Senior Bush Officials,” the
Los Angeles Times,
September 3, 2005.
 
7
Ibid.
 
8
Author copy of Schmitz’s letter.
 
9
Ibid.
 
10
Transcript of Joseph Schmitz’s remarks as prepared for delivery at the City Club of Cleveland, June 25, 2004.
 
11
Joseph E. Schmitz official biography, Department of Defense, February 10, 2005.
 
12
As stated on the Web site of the Order of Malta Federal Association, USA,
www.smom.org/worldwide-history.php
, captured December 4, 2006.
 
13
Ibid.
 
14
Remarks delivered by Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz of the Department of Defense to the 16
th
International Military Chaplains Conference, Ljubljana, Slovenia, February 9, 2005.
 
15
J. Cofer Black speaking at the American Enterprise Institute, May 17, 2006.
 
16
Blackwater USA press release, “Joseph E. Schmitz Becomes Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for The Prince Group,” September 13, 2005.
 
17
Ibid.
 
18
Howard Seelye, “Schmitz Striving for Moderate Image in Race for Utt’s Seat,” the
Los Angeles Times,
April 12, 1970.
 
19
Ibid.
 
20
Phil Kerby, “The Reagan Backlash,”
The Nation,
September 25, 1967.
 
21
David Haldane and Jean O. Pasco, “Fiery O.C. Ultraconservative Schmitz Dies,” the
Los Angeles Times,
January 11, 2001.
 
22
Ibid.
 
23
Adam Bernstein, “Conservative GOP Congressman John G. Schmitz, 70, Dies,” the
Washington Post,
January 12, 2001.
 
24
David Haldane and Jean O. Pasco, “Fiery O.C. Ultraconservative Schmitz Dies,” the
Los Angeles Times,
January 11, 2001.
 
25
“LeTourneau’s Father Dies,” the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
January 12, 2001.
 
26
Thomas J. Foley, “Rousselot, Schmitz Condemn Visit Plan,” the
Los Angeles Times,
July 17, 1971.
 
27
Ibid.
 
28
Adam Bernstein, “Conservative GOP Congressman John G. Schmitz, 70, Dies,” the
Washington Post,
January 12, 2001.
 
29
David Haldane and Jean O. Pasco, “Fiery O.C. Ultraconservative Schmitz Dies,” the
Los Angeles Times,
January 11, 2001.
 
30
Adam Bernstein, “Conservative GOP Congressman John G. Schmitz, 70, Dies,” the
Washington Post,
January 12, 2001.
 
31
Ibid.
 
32
David Haldane and Jean O. Pasco, “Fiery O.C. Ultraconservative Schmitz Dies,” the
Los Angeles Times,
January 11, 2001.
 
33
Ibid.
 
34
Mark Martin, “John G. Schmitz, Former Congressman From Orange County,” the
San Francisco Chronicle,
January 12, 2001.
 
35
John P. Schmitz, profile,
www.mayerbrownrowe.com/lawyers/profile.asp?hubbardid=S884112239
, accessed December 5, 2006.
 
36
Lawrence E. Walsh, “Final Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters,” Chapter 28, August 4, 1993.
 
37
Ibid.
 
38
Ibid.
 
39
Ibid.
 
40
Ibid.
 
41
Ibid.
 
42
Ibid.
 
43
Department of Defense biography of Joseph Schmitz,
www.defenselink.mil/bios/schmitz_bio.html
.
 
44
Lawrence E. Walsh, “Final Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters,” Chapter 31, August 4, 1993.
 
45
John P. Schmitz profile,
www.mayerbrownrowe.com/lawyers/profile.asp?hubbardid=S884112239
, accessed December 5, 2006.
 
46
Ibid.
 
47
Author copy of Senate Office of Public Records lobbying records.
 
48
“Bush Donor Profile: John Patrick Schmitz,” Texans for Public Justice,
www.tpj.org/docs/pioneers/pioneers_view.jsp?id=723
, accessed December 5, 2006.
 
49
Alex Tresniowski, Lorenzo Benet, and Stacey Wilson, “One Year Later,”
People
, May 15, 2006.
 
50
Ibid.
 
51
Ibid.
 
52
“LeTourneau’s Father Dies,” the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
January 12, 2001.
 
53
Department of Defense biography of Joseph Schmitz,
www.defenselink.mil/bios/schmitz_bio.html
.
 
54
Ibid.
 
55
Patton Boggs’s Iraq Reconstruction page,
www.pattonboggs.com/practiceareas/a-z/
104.html, as it appeared on June 15, 2003.
 
56
Ibid.
 
57
Joseph E. Schmitz, “Comments About Recent Veto of HHS Bill,” letter published in the
Washington Times,
November 7, 1989.
 
58
Joseph E. Schmitz, “It’s Not a Federal Matter,” letter published in the
Washington Post,
July 13, 1990.
 
59
Joseph E. Schmitz, “Mr. Dershowitz’s Dilemma Is No Dilemma,” letter published in the
Washington Times,
July 6, 1992.
 
60
Transcript, “U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Holds a Hearing on Defense Department Nominations,” October 23, 2001.
 
61
Joseph E. Schmitz, “If you pull that lever for Clinton . . .,” letter published in the
Washington Times,
October 30, 1992.
 
62
Ibid.
 
63
Transcript, “U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Holds a Hearing on Defense Department Nominations,” October 23, 2001.
 
64
Ibid.
 
65
Ibid.
 
66
As stated on the Department of Defense Inspector General’s Web site.
 
67
Remarks as delivered by Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz of the Department of Defense, “Wrestling with Discipline: Life Lessons in Leadership,” National Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Clinic, St. Louis, Missouri, March 20, 2004.
 
68
Remarks as delivered by Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz of the Department of Defense, Association of Naval Aviators Defense Industry Leaders Breakfast, Tysons Corner, Virginia, June 10, 2004.
 
69
T. Christian Miller, “The Scrutinizer Finds Himself Under Scrutiny,”
Los Angeles Times,
September 25, 2005.
 
70
Ibid.
 
71
Ibid.
 
72
Ibid.
 
73
Transcript, White House Daily Press Briefing, March 25, 2003.
 
74
Stephen Labaton, “Pentagon Adviser Is Also Advising Global Crossing,”
New York Times,
March 21, 2003; Seymour M. Hersh, “Lunch With the Chairman: Why Was Richard Perle Meeting with Adnan Khashoggi?”
The New Yorker,
March 17, 2003.
 
75
Stephen Labaton, “Pentagon Adviser Is Also Advising Global Crossing,”
New York Times,
March 21, 2003.
 
76
Ibid.
 
77
Ibid.
 
78
Janine Zacharia, “Pentagon Clears Richard Perle of Wrongdoing,”
Jerusalem Post,
November 19, 2003.
 
79
Stephen Labaton, “Report Finds No Violations at Pentagon by Adviser,”
New York Times,
November 15, 2003.
 
80
Janine Zacharia, “Pentagon Clears Richard Perle of Wrongdoing,”
Jerusalem Post,
November 19, 2003.
 
81
Jennifer C. Kerr, “Perle Didn’t Violate Ethics Rules, IG Report Says,” Associated Press, November 15, 2003.
 
82
“Investigation Clears Perle of Wrongdoing—Rumsfeld,” Reuters, November 16, 2003.
 
83
R. Jeffrey Smith and Josh White, “General’s Speeches Broke Rules; Report Says Boykin Failed to Obtain Clearance,”
Washington Post,
August 19, 2004.
 
84
William M. Arkin, “The Pentagon Unleashes a Holy Warrior,”
Los Angeles Times,
October 16, 2003.
 
85
Ibid.
 
86
R. Jeffrey Smith and Josh White, “General’s Speeches Broke Rules; Report Says Boykin Failed to Obtain Clearance,”
Washington Post,
August 19, 2004.
 
87
William M. Arkin, “The Pentagon Unleashes a Holy Warrior,”
Los Angeles Times,
October 16, 2003.
 
88
Transcript,
NBC Nightly News,
October 15, 2003.
 
89
William M. Arkin, “The Pentagon Unleashes a Holy Warrior,”
Los Angeles Times,
October 16, 2003.
 
90
Ibid.
 
91
Ibid.
 
92
Michael Smith, “Donald Rumsfeld’s New Killer Elite,
The Times
(London) Online, February 12, 2006.
 
93
William M. Arkin, “The Pentagon Unleashes a Holy Warrior,”
Los Angeles Times,
October 16, 2003.
 
94
Sidney Blumenthal, “The Religious Warrior of Abu Ghraib: An Evangelical US General Played a Pivotal Role in Iraqi Prison Reform,” the
Guardian,
May 20, 2004. See also: John Barry, Michael Hirsh, and Michael Isikoff, “The Roots of Torture,”
Newsweek,
May 24, 2004.
 
95
Jim Mannion, “General to Be Investigated for Anti-Muslim Remarks,” Agence France-Presse, October 21, 2003.
 
96
Ibid.
 
97
R. Jeffrey Smith and Josh White, “General’s Speeches Broke Rules; Report Says Boykin Failed to Obtain Clearance,”
Washington Post,
August 19, 2004.
 
98
Ibid.
 
99
Transcript of Joseph Schmitz’s remarks as prepared for delivery at the City Club of Cleveland, June 25, 2004.
 
100
Joe Milicia, “Inspector General Says Prisoner Abuse Result of ‘Bad Eggs,’” Associated Press, June 25, 2004.
 
101
Ibid.
 
102
Transcript of Joseph Schmitz’s remarks as prepared for delivery at the City Club of Cleveland, June 25, 2004.

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