A State Department spokesman would not comment on the specific allegations made in the Waxman memo. A Blackwater spokeswoman said she expected the issues to be addressed by officials at today's hearing.
The congressional allegations are particularly sensitive in the aftermath of the Sept. 16 shooting. Iraqi officials have accused Blackwater contractors of firing without provocation.
The Iraqi government has attempted to strip the company of its ability to do business in the country, alleging that Blackwater guards have repeatedly shot at civilians with impunity.
Blackwater and the State Department have insisted that a diplomatic convoy was ambushed in the Sept. 16 incident and that Blackwater guards returned fire only after being fired upon.
In a new development, the FBI said Monday that it was sending a team of investigators to Iraq to assist in the investigation -- at the request of the State Department, an FBI spokesman said.
The State Department acknowledged Monday that one Blackwater employee involved in the incident had left Iraq, but said that the departure was for a medical emergency and that all other guards were still in the country.
The congressional inquiry -- which had access to 437 internal Blackwater incident reports as well as some State Department documents and communications about the incidents -- found 195 shootings involving Blackwater guards since 2005. It deemed Blackwater's use of force "frequent and extensive."
The investigators also found that more than 80% of the time, the Blackwater guards fired first.
"Blackwater is legally and contractually bound to only engage in defensive uses of force to prevent 'imminent and grave danger' to themselves or others," the memo said. "In practice, however, the vast majority of Blackwater weapons discharges are preemptive, with Blackwater forces firing first at a vehicle or suspicious individual prior to receiving any fire."
In what appeared to be the most serious allegation, the memo detailed the fallout from the shooting on Christmas Eve last year. The Blackwater contractor was accused of killing a guard of Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi within Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
According to Blackwater and State Department documents acquired by the committee, the Blackwater guard was immediately fired, but arrangements were made for him to be flown quickly out of Iraq. The Waxman memo said that the State Department was informed of the travel plans and that the itinerary, which included flights to Jordan and then to the U.S., was approved by State's regional security officer.
