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Since National Security Correspondent David Martin’s piece on Blackwater security guards being promised immunity from prosecution aired last night, it’s been one of the most popular stories on CBSNews.com.

Now, CBS News legal analyst and lawyer Andrew Cohen weighs in with some answers about the implications of the protection.

The guards still can be prosecuted but the immunity they've already been granted leads to a conflicting scenario where State Department officials know information about a pending criminal investigation that they are not allowed to tell federal prosecutors. And that's why the Justice Department is so hot over this.

It's unlikely that any of these employees would have willingly talked to federal prosecutors anyway about the killings. But the complaint from the Justice Department is that State Department officials had no business cutting a deal with the Blackwater guards without clearing such a deal first with Justice.

The State Department has the legal authority to grant use immunity, which gives the person testifying a free pass for his or her testimony but does not preclude a criminal case based upon independent evidence. The reason this is a controversy is because the department offered these deals without first clearing it with federal prosecutors — a shocking breach of protocol.

Bob Orr is a correspondent for CBS News based in Washington.

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To hear critics on Capitol Hill say it, “Blackwater” sounds like a four letter word. And the word is not “hero”.

But, supporters say “hero” would be a fair description, and therein lies the rub.

There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to Blackwater, a private security contractor based in North Carolina.

To detractors, Blackwater guards are run-amok mercenaries who have found gold in the war zones of Iraq. Since 2003 taxpayers have paid Blackwater more than a billion dollars to protect diplomats and dignitaries. On top of that, Democrats are particularly annoyed that Blackwater’s founder is a major Republican donor leading to whispers that no bid contracts are a sort of quid pro quo payback.

But, Blackwater is effective. No Blackwater client has ever been killed. And the fact is there aren’t enough soldiers to do the jobs taken on by Blackwater and other security contractors.

Add to that Blackwater’s intense training program and the fact that its employees are not amateurs – most come from elite military commando units, like Delta Force and Navy SEALS.

Still, U.S. officials are more than a little uneasy about last month’s Blackwater shootout in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

There are now five separate investigations into Blackwater, yet most people in America are still pondering the question, “Who are these guys?”

We’ll look for answers tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

From Washington, Bob Orr previews tonight's Evening News, which includes the latest on the investigation into Blackwater.

For a First Look, clik the video link.

Senior broadcast producer Chris Dinan previews tonight's CBS Evening News, which includes the latest on the investigation into the Blackwater case in Iraq.

Click the video link for more.