Security firm Blackwater, under scrutiny, ramps up lobbying

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Private-security contractor Blackwater Worldwide, which protects U.S. government officials in Iraq and faces scrutiny over its role in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians, has ramped up its lobbying representation on Capitol Hill.

Law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice was tapped by the company to lobby the government on contracting and other issues, according to the form posted online Tuesday by the Senate's public records office.

Womble Carlyle is the third lobbying firm to be hired by Moyock, N.C.-based Blackwater since October.

The company has attracted considerable congressional scrutiny and criticism from the Iraqi government and human rights groups for its involvement in several dozen shooting incidents. Federal prosecutors are investigating the Sept. 16 shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians involving several Blackwater security guards. The company has maintained that its guards have always acted appropriately.

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:kick:

I'm trying to remember the last time a gang of mercenaries lobbied a government...

Our phony government pays them with our tax dollars! What makes anyone believe Congress will do what is right? And people wonder why America is so hated. Hell, the rest of the World knows how evil our government is and "We the People" allow it out of complacency, arrogance and ignorance. The rest of the World has known it for years.

You want real "CHANGE"?