"I understand this statement is being given in furtherance of an official administrative inquiry," and that, "I further understand that neither my statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements can be used against me in a criminal proceeding, except that if I knowingly and willfully provide false statements or information, I may be criminally prosecuted for that action under 18 United States Code, Section 1001."

The text comes from the transcripts of the guards' testimony, copies of which were provided to ABC.

The immunity deal is causing a stir in Congress.

The immunity deal will not prevent the Blackwater guards from ever being prosecuted. However, it forces prosecutors to prove that they did not use the information gleaned from the bodyguards' statements — or anything related to them — when seeking criminal charges. That means investigators will have to find other credible witnesses or evidence to make their case.

....A second senior U.S. official familiar with the investigation said Tuesday that the immunity deal stemmed from a waiver that Blackwater employees signed that banned their initial statements from being used in court. The official said it makes the job harder but does not make prosecution impossible.

Blogging on the Blackwater immunity deal: Marcy at The Next Hurrah; Siun at Firedoglake; David Kurtz at TPM; Think Progress.

Also check out the Center for Constitutional Rights' lawsuit filed against Blackwater on behalf of family members of those killed.