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Money Talks for Blackwater in Iraq

The Nation's Jeremy Scahill on the revelation that Blackwater bribed local Iraqis following the Nisour Square massacre.

The Rachel Maddow Show

November 11, 2009

Why is Blackwater still in Iraq? Jeremy Scahill, Nation correspondent and author of Blackwater:The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army appears on Rachel Maddow to comment on the latest revelation regarding the corrupt contractor and its never-ending presence in the country. It has just been revealed that Blackwater allegedly paid $1 million dollars in bribes to Iraqi officials in order to silence their criticism of the company and its extended stay in their country, an act that is quite likely to be considered illegal. Following the Nisour square massacre, where 17 Iraqis were killed by Blackwater operatives, the Iraqi government wanted Blackwater banned–and yet the company continues under contract without much interference from either Iraqi or American officials. “Why is President Obama keeping these guys on the payroll?” Scahill asks, especially since “There has never been a company in recent history that made the case that corporations are corrupt evil, organizations [more] than Blackwater.”

Fernanda Diaz

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