The story

The chairman of military contractor Blackwater is defending his company from "negative and baseless allegations" surrounding a bloody day in Baghdad, telling a House committee that its guards responded properly to an insurgent attack last month.

The Iraqi government says Blackwater contractors guarding a U.S. Embassy convoy opened fire on civilians in western Baghdad on September 16, killing as many as 20 people.

And a report issued Monday by the Democratic majority staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee found the company has inflicted "significant casualties and property damage" in Iraq while guarding State Department officials. Read full article »

CNN's Suzanne Simons contributed to this report.

All About U.S. Department of State • Iraq War • Blackwater USA