U.S. Lawyers Knew About Legal Pitfalls in Blackwater Case -- New York TimesWASHINGTON — The sudden blow to the case against the former Blackwater security guards over a shooting that killed 17 Iraqis and wounded at least 20 may have come as a surprise to the public in Iraq and the United States, but the legal problem that the judge cited Thursday when he threw out the indictments was obvious to American government lawyers within days of the shooting.
The issue was that the guards, as government contractors, were obligated to give an immediate report of what they had done, but the Constitution prevents the government from requiring a defendant to testify against himself, so those statements could not be used in a prosecution.
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My Comment: If this case can be thrown out because of legal technical issues .... concerns should now be raised on the possibility that .... contrary to what the US. Government is saying .... the same legal and technical issues and pitfalls be raised when the 9/11 trials begin in New York City.
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