A cynic might say that an inadvertent offer of immunity was a pretty clever tactic. Muddy the waters before the investigation even gets off the ground and all that.
But surely the State Department is above that sort of thing.
As if the waters weren't muddy enough already. Wow, what a mess.
On the bright side, it looks like that law granting American civilians immunity from Iraqi law is working very well toward its intended purpose!
According to the first article, they were never offered immunity by anyone with the authority to grant it. So, my guess is that this "senior State Department official" is probably just hiding behind the plausible deniability inherent in the situation.
To quote the ever-quotable MCT, "that sound you hear is my total lack of surprise."
Aiming forWinning their hearts and minds.