WASHINGTON – Blackwater chairman Erik Prince vigorously rejected charges Tuesday that guards from his private security firm acted like a bunch of cowboys immune to legal prosecution while protecting State Department personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I believe we acted appropriately at all times,” Prince, a 38-year-old former Navy SEAL, calmly told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

His testimony came as the FBI is investigating Blackwater personnel for their role in a Sept. 16 shootout that left 11 Iraqis dead. The incident and others, including a shooting by a drunk Blackwater employee after a 2006 Christmas party, led to questions by lawmakers about whether the government is relying too much on private contractors who fall outside the martial system.

“We’re not getting our money’s worth when we have so many complaints about innocent people being shot,” said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., committee chairman, at the conclusion of a nearly six-hour hearing. “And it’s unclear whether they’re actually being investigated by the State Department, because we haven’t had any cooperation.”

The committee agreed not to look into the Sept. 16 incident during Tuesday’s hearing after the Justice Department requested that Congress wait until the FBI concludes its investigation.

Prince cast his company as a scapegoat for broader problems associated with the government’s reliance on security contractors and the murky legal jurisdiction. He said his staff was comprised of courageous individuals who face the same threats and high-stress environment as U.S. military personnel, and noted 30 Blackwater personnel have been killed and no Americans have died under the company’s watch.

Stephen Ryan, Prince repeatedly refused to say whether former Blackwater employees were guilty of murder and said it should be up to the Justice Department to pursue charges against contractors who commit crimes overseas.

Associated Press writer Anne Gearan contributed to this story