Obama nominated Hillary for Secretary of State in which she served from 2009 - 2013; Joe Biden was Vice President from 2009-2017; Eric Holder was appointed Attorney General by Obama from 2009 - 2015; John McCain was U.S. Senator of Arizona from 1987 - 2018.
On September 16, 2007 at Al Nisoor Square Baghdad, Iraq, a team of Blackwater contractors (all honorably discharged, decorated military veterans) had been assigned to provide high-threat protection for State Department officials (U.S. diplomats) — and they did just that, yet these men were thrown to the jackals and were used as sacrificial lambs for a political pursuit.
The Blackwater Team (call sign “Raven 23”— a tactical-support team) provided back-up fire support for other Blackwater personal security details. Blackwater was not in Iraq because veterans decided on their own to fly into Iraq to be part of chaos in kinetic battles. They were there specifically because the contractors were hired by the U.S. Government to protect, as I mentioned above, State Department officials — if bullets went flying, the contractors would be the sponges to absorb the lead.
In addition to protecting State Department assets and assisting other Blackwater teams to keep the assets alive and unharmed, RAVEN 23 also helped save active-duty military lives in Bagdad as the region was extremely volatile as it was filled with insurgents and terrorists.
Iraq was in chaos with the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The year 2007 was especially turbulent in Iraq as it was reported that the average activity from insurgents was estimated to be around 180 engagements PER day. Car bombs (VBIEDs), IEDS, .50 cal rounds, grenades, EFPs, rocket launchers, gunfire, and insurgents dressed as Iraqi police were an everyday occurrence that had the military, contractors, and civilian personnel on a constant state of alert.
“Shortly before noon on September 16, 2007, Raven 23 received a message that a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device ("VBIED") had detonated in the vicinity of a compound in which U.S. officials were meeting with Iraqi officials.”
“Insurgents detonated a car bomb near the venue where a U.S. diplomat was conducting government business. The Blackwater emergency response team, Raven 23, deployed to secure the diplomat’s safe return. After the team created a checkpoint in a traffic circle in Nisur [Nisoor] Square, a white Kia [that was on an earlier BOLO ] drove toward their convoy and refused to stop. Raven 23 disabled the vehicle, but came under fire, which they returned, killing several Iraqis. A team vehicle was disabled by the incoming arms fire and had to be towed back to safety. A U.S. Army Captain and West Point graduate who responded immediately to the scene interviewed Iraqi witnesses who confirmed that the vehicle had driven toward the Raven 23 convoy like a car bomb. Real-time radio logs and photographs of the disabled vehicle confirm that the team came under small arms fire during the attack. There was evidence that people were throwing Iraqi Police uniforms over embankments around the Square, suggesting that insurgents disguised themselves as police and used the embankments as cover to shoot at the convoy.” https://casetext.com/case/us-v-slough
Just 30 minutes after the firefight, CNN had put out a video of the aftermath on loop for the world to see. The team wrote sworn statements shortly after the incident and were interviewed by the RSO (Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) ) which depicted a very different scenario that CNN wanted portrayed. Those sworn statements and interviews, which were supposed to be protected and could not be used in any criminal proceedings, were leaked to ABC NEWS from presumably a U.S. State Department agent.
On 19 September 2007 just days after the incident, CNN dubbed their Blackwater Iraq article “Wounded Iraqis: 'No one did anything' to provoke Blackwater” and stated that 17 Iraqis died; however, only two bodies were recovered with no autopsies conducted. The FBI did not get onto the highly- trafficked, contaminated scene until three weeks AFTER the incident.
Another odd instance was the fact that there was footage from a U.S. Army drone of the Nisoor Square incident; however, the middle of the footage—the actual fire fight— was missing and only the beginning and end of the footage was intact.
“The prosecution had in its possession satellite images and approximately 10 minutes of footage taken by a U.S. Army drone of the aftermath of the gun battle in Nisur [Nisoor] Square. The prosecutors knew about this footage at least as early as 2009. The prosecution asked the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency to evaluate the images and footage. At trial, they played just 46 seconds of that footage. Four minutes from the beginning and six minutes from the end of the drone footage had mysteriously gone missing.” Case 1:08-cr-00360-RCL Document 866, page 56
Iraqi politicians, media, and police described the event as a massacre of innocent Iraqi civilians with no provocation. What was stunning was that U.S. media, State Department, FBI, and U.S. politicians were clapping and applauding for the demise of Raven 23 as well and pushed the narrative beyond the exosphere.
Through corrupted Iraqi investigations, imams, pressure from the Iraqi Prime Minister (Nouri al-Maliki), the U.S. Mainstream Media, and from then-presidential candidate, then-Senator Barack Obama and Co.—all called for blood against these Americans.
Four men, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten, and Paul Slough had become expendable by the Obama Administration. Three men were charged with voluntary manslaughter, firearms’ violations, aiding and abetting; and one man was charged with murder in the first degree; however, the charges were dismissed on December 31, 2009 by Judge Ricardo Urbina, a federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., after he discovered prosecutorial misconduct.
“In short, the government has utterly failed to prove that it
made no impermissible use of the defendants' statements or
that such use was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
Accordingly, the court must dismiss the indictment against
all of the defendants.” - Judge Urbina
After the court case was dismissed, Iraq was furious with this outcome. Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for prosecution against the four Blackwater contractors to placate and appease Iraq. Imagine siding with a foreign power OVER four honorably discharged American military veterans that risked life and limb, working for, and protecting I might add the same government that now turned on them.
EMAILS
In her full capacity as Secretary of State, Hillary sent an email dated January 2, 2010 to the legal adviser of the State Department, Harold Hongju Kho, two days after federal Judge Urbina dismissed the case:
From: Hillary Clinton
To: Harold Hongju Koh
Date: 2010-01-02 03:28
Subject: BLACKWATER CASE
…what can we do about Judge Urbina's ruling for example, what is the likelihood of success on appeal? Can the US file a civil action against the company? Pay compensation to the victims? What other options do we have?
All the best, H
Koh replied just hours later:
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE/ATTORNEY WORK-PRODUCT
Re: Blackwater
I have already put these very questions to our team, and they are working up a memo on the subject. Significantly, the press accounts are all saying that State Department lawyers appropriately warned the DOJ prosecutors, but that the D0.1 lawyers chose to take a different route. My initial reactions to your questions are as follows: I will keep pressing and give you an oral report at Monday's 8:45, and we can get the promised memo to you soon thereafter.
Please let me know if you need more.
Best, Harold
EXTRA FUN FACT: On October 9, 2011, Harold Koh, while working for the State Department as a legal advisor (installed by then-President Obama), was with Soros* at his residential compound in Katonah, New York when he sent this email to Hillary:
From: Koh, Harold Hongju <KohHH@state.gov>
Sent: Sunday, October 9, 2011 11:34 AM
To: H
Subject: Re: The topic we discussed yesterday
My pleasure! With Soros in Katonah - will send your greetings!
*Billionaire George Soros owns a compound in Katonah, New York. Soros has funneled millions upon millions of dollars to radical left-wing causes especially candidates for district attorneys all over America supporting soft punishment (if at all) for criminals.
Philip J. “P.J.” Crowley was the former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 2009 resigning in 2011. Cheryl Mills was Hillary’s Counselor and Chief of Staff at the State Department.
From: Mills, Cheryl D.
Sent: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 9:58 PM
To: H
Subject: FW: Call from NYT
FYI
From: Crowley, Philip J
Sent: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 9:57 PM
To: Mills, Cheryl D; Koh, Harold Hongju; Kennedy, Patrick F…
Subject: Re: Call from NYT
I told the NYT that 17 people died in broad daylight. We took the investigation seriously from the outset. We called in the FBI to join the investigation and more than two years later we continue to pursue the case and seek justice…
P.J.
During Biden’s visit to Baghdad in January 2010, he told the Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, he would seek prosecution of the Raven 23 team after U.S. Federal Judge Urbina had dismissed the case.
“Let me take this opportunity to express my personal regret for the violence in Kisoor [sic] (Nisoor) involving Blackwater employees in 2007. The United States is determined, determined to hold accountable anyone who commits crimes against the Iraqi people. While we fully respect the independence and integrity of the US judicial system, we were disappointed by the judge’s decision to dismiss the indictment which was based on the way in which some evidence had been acquired. A dismissal — I want to make clear — is not an acquittal, and today I am announcing that the United States government will appeal this decision. Our justice department will file that appeal from the judge’s decision next week,” said Biden as he shook the Iraqi President’s hand and gave many nods of assurance.
This case was dubbed “THE BIDEN 4” due to Biden’s public declaration of unmerited and deleterious accusations, but Hillary seemed help to orchestrate a behind-the-curtain pursuit.
In 2010, U.S. Senator John McCain went to Baghdad and had a meeting with Iraq’s prime minister who vowed to seek punishment of the contractors. McCain told the press at the American Embassy, “We hope and believe that the ruling will be appealed…we deeply regret that this decision [Judge Urbina’s ruling] was made…”
In June of 2011 at the U.S. State Department, Hillary addressed the “Business Forum Promoting Commercial Opportunities in Iraq” and stated, “…Today Turkish, Chinese, French, Jordanian, Iranian companies are lining up to do business, but very honestly we see too few American companies along side our soldiers and our diplomats… it’s time for the United States to start thinking of Iraq…ah… as a business opportunity. And the sacrifice that the Iraqi people have made for your freedom…ah one that we highly respect…”
Then-Deputy Secretary of State, Tom Aides, reiterated what Hillary had said [June 2011] as the State Department released an email in 2013, “Deputy Secretary of State Tom Aides hosted an engaging roundtable discussion on investing in Iraq with senior executives from 30 U.S. companies and senior representatives from the U.S. and Iraqi governments. Secretary Clinton gave remarks, and noted that it's time for the United States to start thinking of Iraq as a business opportunity.”
Hillary wanted the optics of the war-torn country to be seen as a “business opportunity,” of course, it would make perfect sense to appease Iraq and give them “the justice” the country so deserved. Who cares about the contractors’ lives or the truth? There was money to be made not just for America’s military industrial complex but also for the benevolent, altruistic, compassionate Clinton Foundation.
BACKTRACKING
In February 2008 as New York Senator, just five months after the Nisoor Square incident, Hillary cosponsored legislation to ban use of private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. This move showed her predisposition against private security contractors. The legislation stated that only security services would be provided by Federal Government Personnel.
So, was she looking to utilize postal carriers or IRS agents to protect assets against car bombs, kidnappings, and shootings in the Middle East? Things to ponder…
After Judge Urbina’s ruling [2009], the DOJ appealed the ruling (from pressure at Hillary’s State Department, Iraq, and Joe Biden’s pubic declaration of “justice” to Iraq) and the case was brought to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Washington D.C and ruled against the defendants (which none of the contractors lived in0— thus began the tumultuous bashing of the Biden Four’s lives.
Iraq turned the screws and informed the U.S. government that all security forces and military would be kicked out and oil deals would be null and void unless RAVEN 23 was punished.
Iraq did not want to look weak, so it did not matter if RAVEN 23 was defending themselves against an unprovoked attack in Nisoor Square — appearances were the utmost important regardless of innocence, and the U.S. Government was an amenable partner.
In January of 2010, a classified cable came through: the Ambassador, Christopher R. Hill, told “PM Nuri al-Maliki that he had spoken with Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, a few days earlier and had explained to the AG the serious difficulties that the recent Blackwater decision was creating in Iraq. The PM expressed appreciation that the issue was getting serious attention in Washington and noted that public outrage helped explain the emotional climate in which GOI officials had responded to the decision.”
GET ‘EM!
Along with Hillary and Joe Biden’s relentless and wrongful pursuit of a guilty verdict of RAVEN 23, Attorney General Holder made sure the DOJ found them guilty. The four were recharged multiple times, convicted, and sent to jail.
FUN FACT: Holder was the first U.S. Attorney General in history to be held in contempt of court with his Operation “Fast and Furious” yet was ruled blameless.
PARDONED
The U.S. Government put these men and their families through a life of hell for 13 years and spent around $50 million taxpayer dollars to mollify Iraq. After six years and two months of serving prison time for crimes they did not commit, President Trump pardoned RAVEN 23 on December 22, 2020.
After the pardon, Senator Chris Murphy (CT) tweeted, “Pardoning these murderers is a disgrace. They shot women and kids who had their hands in the air.” Rep. Adam Schiff (CA), who was censured by Congress for lying multiple times about a Russia/Trump collusion, and who was ejected from Intel committees (2023) said, “People who kill innocent civilians in a theater of war—they get a pardon…” Apparently, Sen. Murphy and Rep. Schiff didn’t do their homework on the multi-tiered assault of Raven 23.
EXCULPATORY…IGNORE THAT
The same government that prosecuted and put the innocent Blackwater contractors in prison possessed reports that the Iraqi national police officer, Colonel Faris Saai Abdul Karim, who was central to and led the Nisoor Square investigation had actually been peddling information about U.S. troop movements to Iranian terror groups—Iranian proxies masquerading as Iraqi insurgents. Those reports were not disclosed to the defense.
In addition to Colonel Karim’s corruption, Raven 23’s exculpatory evidence was left out by the DOJ’s prosecutors which was a Brady violation (Brady v. Maryland).
There was no forensic evidence of Slatten, Slough, Liberty, or Heard’s weapons connecting them to the killing of innocent Iraqis. Photos of AK-47, 7.62 (used by Iraqis) spent rounds right after the Nisoor Square firefight were taken by U.S. Army Captain Peter DeCaro and given to the FBI. The photos just happened to get lost only to be discovered seven years later.
THE PROPAGANDA FACTOR
If you are going to run and check Wikipedia after reading this, don’t bother! After all of the evidence came out, Wikipedia’s page has the attack (still to this day) titled: “Nisour [sic] Square Massacre” citing Washington Post and New York Times’ articles which left out many facts and truths about this story.
FUN FACT: “Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger has warned that the website can no longer be trusted — insisting it is now just “propaganda” for the left-leaning “establishment.” - New York Post
Jermey Scahill wrote a dense book “BLACKWATER: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army” which won the George Polk Book Award— a special honor for journalists. The title in itself does not seem to be accurate though as the definition of a “mercenary” is a soldier who is paid by a foreign country to fight in its army : hired for service in a foreign army. American citizens who are hired for Protective Services Detail (PSD) for Americans.
THE FBI LIE
In 2014, “Today’s verdict demonstrates the FBI's dedication to investigating violations of U.S. law no matter where they occur,” said FBI’s Assistant Director Andrew McCabe.* The U.S. government brought in multiple Iraqi witnesses to testify against the Blackwater contractors.
*In 2017, McCabe lied to federal agents (while under oath) with those agents who spending weeks investigating the source of a leak to the Wall Street Journal that actually came from McCabe. He was never charged by the DOJ.
EXRA CREDIT: In 2015, Obama’s Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, gave a distinguished award to the Washington D.C. Attorney General’s Office prosecution team and the FBI for a job well done! 🌟A+++++🌟
“The individuals being honored today stand out within a department that holds all of its employees and partners to an extremely high standard of excellence,” said Attorney General Lynch. Great job in prosecuting four innocent men who were hired by the U.S. Government to protect State Department officials from death and dismemberment.
“This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington [D.C.] Field Office. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the Iraqi National Police provided cooperation and assistance in the investigation.” — DOJ website
I encourage all to do a deep dive and listen the complete story of “The Biden 4, Raven 23” in its entirety, “RAVEN 23: Presumption of Guilt: Joe Biden’s Baghdad Betrayal” by Gina Keating on Apple Podcast. It will chill you to the bone and make your blood boil to hear how the U.S. Government screwed over veterans who honorably served their county to appease a foreign nation.
More information pertaining to The Biden 4
Raven 23 “Presumption of Guilt” Podcast
https://pipehitterfoundation.org/blackwater4/
NOTES
https://casetext.com/case/us-v-slough
https://web.archive.org/web/20150401050910/http://www.supportraven23.com
https://www.nacdl.org/getattachment/ae7cc5bb-9704-4690-80ce-471692618938/blackwater.pdf
https://foia.state.gov/search/Results.aspx?searchText=harold%20koh&collection=Clinton_Email-- actual email
https://foia.state.gov/search/Results.aspx?searchText=harold%20koh&collection=Clinton_Email
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/3394 — PJ
https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/george-soros-house/view/google/ — George Soros
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/george-soros-criminal-justice-reform-227519 - George Soros
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Hillary-Clinton-call-the-Iraq-War-a-business-opportunity
https://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2011/06/11/clinton-urges-u-s-companies-to-invest-in-iraq/
https://casetext.com/case/us-v-slough — Judge Urbina
https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/blackwater-black-listed-and-betrayed/
https://www.sofmag.com/blackwater-injustice-black-listed-and-betrayed/
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/680— Clinton emails
https://www.scribd.com/doc/283273910/Clinton-Iraq-Email
http://www.supportraven23.com/blog/2020/1/3/the-real-story-behind-the-biden-four-prosecution
https://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07BAGHDAD3136_a.html, cables
https://casetext.com/case/us-v-slough, RMU UNITED STATES of America v. Paul A. SLOUGH et al., Defendants
https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/swaying-the-opinion-facts-vs-feelings-on-blackwater/
https://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/19/iraq.fateful.day/index.html
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/pardon-the-men-of-raven-23/
https://web.archive.org/web/20160705124842/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00674:@@@D&summ2=m& - Senator Obama, Transparency and Accountability in Military and Security Contracting Act of 2007, H.R.369, H.R.2740, 16 February 2007
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-former-blackwater-employees-found-guilty-charges-fatal-nisur-square-shooting-iraq — updated 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/01/opinion/letters/blackwater-pardons.html--- FBI AGENT, John M. Patarini
https://www.nacdl.org/getattachment/ae7cc5bb-9704-4690-80ce-471692618938/blackwater.pdf — USA v Slough, et al.
https://www.nacdl.org/getattachment/7f717a1d-cfc1-4d58-9423-62bc5319484d/united-states-v-slatten-amicus.pdf — USA Appellee v NICOLAS SLATTEN, PAUL A. SLOUGH, EVAN S. LIBERTY, DUSTIN L. HEARD
https://www.recoilweb.com/political-prisoners-battlefield-contractor-175895.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/us/23blackwater.html
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/10BAGHDAD52_a.html — Christopher Hill
https://www.courthousenews.com/justice-dept-settles-with-house-panel-on-fast-furious-records/
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-donald-j-trump-2017-2021
DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO VACATE: United States of America v. Dustin Laurent Heard, Paul Alvin Slough, Evan Sean Liberty Crim. Dkt. No. 08-CR-360-RCL-4, Crim. Dkt. No. 08-CR-360-RCL-1, Crim. Dkt. No. 08-CR-360-RCL-3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisour_Square_massacre
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-110hhrg45219/html/CHRG-110hhrg45219.htm
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/four-former-blackwater-employees-found-guilty-charges
https://nypost.com/2020/01/02/andrew-mccabe-said-he-lied-to-fbi-about-wall-street-journal-leak/
https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/02/why-wasnt-andrew-mccabe-charged/-- Andrew McCabe
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/430152-the-embarrassing-return-of-andrew-mccabe/ — McCabe
https://www.theblaze.com/conservative-review/real-andrew-mccabe-liar-leaker-coup-plotter-McCabe
https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1341762622144860162
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/attorney-general-lynch-recognizes-blackwater-prosecution-team-award-distinguished-service
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/four-former-blackwater-employees-found-guilty-charges
https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/documents/us-v-ridgeway.pdf— J. Ridgeway plea deal
https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/documents/grandjury.pdf — Indictment
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/attorney-general-lynch-recognizes-blackwater-prosecution-team-award-distinguished-service
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2205737/Fast-Furious-report-Eric-Holder-escapes-blame.html