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Washington

October 2, 2007 3:48 PM

McCollum, House members grill Blackwater exec

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Erik Prince after the hearing — Erik Prince, chairman of the Prince Group, LLC and Blackwater USA, shakes hands with committee members as Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) (R) and Rep. Tom Davis (D-VA)(2nd-R) sit nearby after testifying before a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Executives from the private security firm Blackwater faced tough questions on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for the company's work in Iraq. On Monday, a congressional committee released a report harshly critical of the contractor. The report said the outfit was out of control, firing unprovoked on Iraqi civilians in a September 16th incident in which Blackwater contractors killed 11 Iraqis.

Blackwater's owner, Erik Prince, was in the hot seat Tuesday, answering tough questions before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He defended his company's actions in Iraq and called allegations of wrongdoing "baseless."

All Things Considered host Tom Crann talks with Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., who serves on the House committee questioning Blackwater executives.

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Erik Prince after the hearing — Erik Prince, chairman of the Prince Group, LLC and Blackwater USA, shakes hands with committee members as Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) (R) and Rep. Tom Davis (D-VA)(2nd-R) sit nearby after testifying before a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

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