By Allan Lengel
Retired FBI official Tom O’Connor, who was involved in the investigation of the slaying of 17 unarmed Iraqi citizens in 2007, expresses outrage over President Donald Trump’s pardoning of four convicted Blackwater employees.
“The fact that President Trump pardoned the Blackwater shooters is the lowest he has gone,” O’Connor writes in a posting on Linkedin.
“I processed this crime scene with our team. I testified for days at the trials. The killings were clear homicide and manslaughter. Not ONE round was fired at the Blackwater Team, Raven 23. Trump pardoned these criminals ONLY because Erik Prince, the owner of Blackwater is the brother of Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education. An 8-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed. His father, Aunt and cousins were in a car which took dozens of rifle rounds. The car was stopped in traffic. This was horrific crime. 17 civilians including two children were killed and twice that injured. I have not been this mad… ever.”
O’Connor, who retired from the FBI in 2019, was a team leader on the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Evidence Response Team for more than 20 years. He investigated violent crimes and terrorism acts around the world, including the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. He was also the president of the FBI Agents Association.
Recently Trump pardoned four Blackwater security guards serving time for their involvement in the killing of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad on September 16, 2007.
