Levin Catches Blackwater in Contracting Lie
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) got Fred Roitz of Blackwater -- sorry, Xe Services, the new name for the company -- to say that Blackwater shell company Paravant
Jul 31, 2020617.8K Shares9.8M Views
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) got Fred Roitz of Blackwater — sorry, “Xe Services,” the new name for the company — to say that Blackwater shell company “Paravant” came into existence shortly before “Paravant” got a subcontract from defense giant Raytheon to train Afghan security forces. But then Levin read from the contract submission: “Paravant has many years of experience identifying and selecting top candidates for training.” *How could that possibly be true? * Levin asked.
Roitz first tried to parry that the language referred to “recruiting and vetting functions service [within] all the companies” controlled by Blackwater. Levin wasn’t having it: “Your proposal says something that is not true.” Roitz backed down, saying the proposal “could have been better worded.” Levin rejoindered that Roitz’s answercould have been better worded. Finally, when Levin kept pressing him that Paravant’s claim of “years of experience” could not in any straightforward way be true, he conceded, “That is true.”
But not before he pointed his finger at Raytheon. “Raytheon specifically knew who in fact they were contracting with,” Roitz said. “They did not want to name Blackwater.” Levin pressed: Who at Raytheon told him that? “I don’t know.”
I have a call out to Raytheon officials on this; let’s see what they say.
Paolo Reyna
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Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
Paolo enjoys writing about celebrity culture, gaming, visual arts, and events. He has a keen eye for trends in popular culture and an enthusiasm for exploring new ideas. Paolo's writing aims to inform and entertain while providing fresh perspectives on the topics that interest him most.
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