Erik Prince Testifies Before Congress Defending Blackwater Despite Evidence of 195 Shooting Incidents

Erik Prince testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for nearly four hours, defending Blackwater’s operations in Iraq despite overwhelming evidence of excessive force and lack of accountability. The hearing came weeks after the September 16, 2007 Nisour Square massacre where Blackwater employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians, prompting the Iraqi government to revoke Blackwater’s license to operate in Iraq.

A congressional report released before the hearing documented that between 2005 and September 2007, Blackwater security staff were involved in 195 shooting incidents in Iraq. In 163 of these cases (84%), Blackwater personnel fired first from moving vehicles, contradicting Prince’s claims of defensive operations. The report revealed a systematic pattern of offensive engagement rules that treated Iraqi civilians as potential threats to be neutralized rather than protected populations.

Prince stated during testimony: “I stress to the committee and to the American public, however, that I believe we acted appropriately at all times.” This blanket defense came despite FBI investigation findings that at least 14 of the 17 Nisour Square shootings were unjustified, and State Department memos describing Blackwater incidents as “the random death of an innocent Iraqi citizen.” Prince’s testimony demonstrated corporate leadership’s willingness to defend systematic violence as appropriate professional conduct.

The hearing exposed fundamental oversight failures in the privatization of military functions. Despite $2 billion in government contracts (1997-2010) and $600 million in CIA contracts, Blackwater operated with minimal accountability: contractors were not subject to military law under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, could not be prosecuted under Iraqi law due to immunity provisions in Coalition Provisional Authority orders, and faced limited U.S. criminal jurisdiction for actions in combat zones. Prince’s testimony revealed the company’s position that civilian contractors conducting military operations should face neither military nor civilian legal accountability for actions that would constitute war crimes if committed by uniformed soldiers.

The congressional hearing demonstrated the inadequacy of legislative oversight mechanisms when confronting systematic corporate violations embedded in privatized government functions. Despite documented evidence of 195 shooting incidents with Blackwater firing first in 84% of cases, Prince faced no criminal charges, Blackwater retained government contracts, and the company would simply rebrand as Xe Services in 2009 to continue operations under a new name, establishing a template for escaping accountability through corporate restructuring.