Raven 23: Presumption of Guilt

How did four highly decorated American soldiers become prisoners of war in their own country? This series re-examines the US Department of Justice’s controversial prosecution following a gun battle in Baghdad between Iraqi insurgents and military contractors. Why did the DOJ hold multiple trials for over a decade? Was the DOJ seeking justice? Or playing politics?

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Raven 23: Presumption of Guilt

Joe Biden's Baghdad Betrayal

August 11, 2020 • Think Again • Season 1 • Episode 10

Just two days after Judge Ricardo Urbina threw out the government’s case against Raven 23, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her legal advisors were scheming on ways to revive it.

The news of the dismissal reverberated across Iraq, with religious and political leaders demanding that the US Justice Department bring new charges against Dustin Heard, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Nick Slatten.

State Department cables from the time show that the Iraqi government was threatening to withdraw from the Status of Forces Agreement and lucrative oil contracts.

Obama sent Vice President Joseph Biden to Iraq to assure the Iraqi people publicly that they would have “justice” in the Raven 23 case.

FOR MORE:

WIKILEAKS
State Department diplomatic cables: "Fallout over Blackwater Continues"
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/10BAGHDAD63_a.html

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Biden says "U.S. to Appeal Blackwater Dismissal"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGSJuwszC8

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