If you’re going to cover up your own incompetence and poor oversight, at least have the grace to do so in a careful and decorous fashion, not like a bunch of — well, incompetents.
State Department investigators promised Blackwater guards immunity from prosecution for last month’s deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, according to officials familiar with the matter. That could potentially complicate any attempt to bring criminal charges in the case, the officials said.
[…] “They were told their statements can’t be used against them,” said one U.S. government official. “But this doesn’t necessarily mean charges can never be brought against these guys.”
A second official called the limited immunity “surprising and confusing” and questioned the authority of the State Department’s diplomatic security investigators to unilaterally make immunity decisions.
“I can understand there would be a lot of very unhappy people,” said a third official, an experienced investigator who said decisions are not usually made without consultation with federal prosecutors.
Of course, we can always blame it on the lower-downs:
The State Department had no official comment. But one senior State Department official said it is unclear what transpired, “but whatever it was, it was not something that was sanctioned by the senior management of the State Department.”
Of course not. Can we therefore hope that somewhere in the food chain heads will roll? I’m not holding my breath.
It is still doubtful that the State Department can even give Immunity since that sounds more like a Justice Department function.
But given how things have gone so far either nothing will happen or a few people will get a max of 3 years in jail stateside.
I wouldn’t think that they could actually offer immunity — however, the perceived offer of immunity might lead to 5th Amendment self-incrimination issues.
I seriously doubt anyone will see any jail time. Which is pretty damned sad.