AdvertisementOn Tuesday evening, President Trump pardoned four of them, a decision that reflected his tolerance for illegal military violence and reignited anger over one of the most disturbing episodes in the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. “President Trump has hit a disgraceful new low with the Blackwater pardons,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the National Security Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Pardoning the Blackwater killers is renewing the crime committed against the Iraqi people,” tweeted Muhammad Waeli, an Iraqi commentator. Blackwater was founded by Erik Prince, a Trump ally whose sister, Betsy DeVos, is the education secretary. The United States has consistently argued it need not join global judicial systems, such as the International Criminal Court, because it can bring its own people to justice when necessary.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 23, 2020 21:33 UTC