Pleading the 5th

Well, being "miscontrued" by politicos, and being charged and convicted of perjury by a jury, are two very different things.

I don't believe there is any danger, and for me, being accused of something I did not do, would be my paramount concern. If I were telling the truth, I would feel well-armed to do battle with anyone whom might want to "misconstrue" me.
You may at that. Personally I believe that in politics perception is often reality. If those who wish to misconstrue your testimony are successful you can easily wind up the goat. Would you, working for somebody such as President Bush, want to be the goat for their decisions?

There are times when discretion is the greater part of valor.
 
You may at that. Personally I believe that in politics perception is often reality. If those who wish to misconstrue your testimony are successful you can easily wind up the goat. Would you, working for somebody such as President Bush, want to be the goat for their decisions?

There are times when discretion is the greater part of valor.

So you're saying that her testifying could put her in PR trouble, not legal jeopardy.

I'll tell you the truth Damo, I can no longer believe what I am seeing. The Justice Department is imploding. Aren't these people supposed to be looking for terrorists and other assorted dangerous characters?

If I were a Republican I would be screaming at the top of my lungs, for these people's heads. They're turning the Republican party into a permenant minority party. The problem for me is, they're destroying this freaking country while they're at it. What might the blowback be of a Justice Department that is quite simply, no longer functioning? I guess we're all gonna find out.
 
So you're saying that her testifying could put her in PR trouble, not legal jeopardy.

I'll tell you the truth Damo, I can no longer believe what I am seeing. The Justice Department is imploding. Aren't these people supposed to be looking for terrorists and other assorted dangerous characters?

If I were a Republican I would be screaming at the top of my lungs, for these people's heads. They're turning the Republican party into a permenant minority party. The problem for me is, they're destroying this freaking country while they're at it. What might the blowback be of a Justice Department that is quite simply, no longer functioning? I guess we're all gonna find out.
I don't think we will. They will either be found to have performed an illegal act or not. And punished or not. It will not end the function of the Justice Department.

I agree that their actions hurt the party. But I look at the long-term. I believe that this will spell an end to the strangle-hold the religious "conservatives" have over a party that used to be about personal responsibility and that the party has a greater chance of returning more to my political philosophy.
 
You may at that. Personally I believe that in politics perception is often reality. If those who wish to misconstrue your testimony are successful you can easily wind up the goat. Would you, working for somebody such as President Bush, want to be the goat for their decisions?

There are times when discretion is the greater part of valor.

You can't be convicted or go to jail for being "miscontrued". Pleading the 5th is not intended to prevent political embarrasment. Its intened to prevent a citizen from self-incrimination.

Being miscontrued is not perjury. Its not a crime, although is may be politically embarrasing. Perjury is when somebody knowingly lies. People's recollection and memory can fail. That's not perjury. The burden of proof for a prosecutor investigating perjury is set pretty high. There has to be a clear, evidentiary trail that demonstrates the person knowingly lied under oath. That's why libby was indicted, and karl rove wasn't.
 
You can't be convicted or go to jail for being "miscontrued". Pleading the 5th is not intended to prevent political embarrasment. Its intened to prevent a citizen from self-incrimination.

Being miscontrued is not perjury. Its not a crime, although is may be politically embarrasing. Perjury is when somebody knowingly lies. People's recollection and memory can fail. That's not perjury. The burden of proof for a prosecutor investigating perjury is set pretty high. There has to be a clear, evidentiary trail that demonstrates the person knowingly lied under oath. That's why libby was indicted, and karl rove wasn't.
This depends on who is misctonstruing the testimony. In front of Congress you won't get convicted, but in front of a jury you can, even if you had done nothing illegal and were miscontrued. Or do you honestly believe that nobody has ever been convicted of any crime unjustly?
 
My point is that if this were in industry they would be fired for refusing to discuss the discharge of their duties with their employers.
 
This depends on who is misctonstruing the testimony. In front of Congress you won't get convicted, but in front of a jury you can, even if you had done nothing illegal and were miscontrued. Or do you honestly believe that nobody has ever been convicted of any crime unjustly?

Congress can't bring a person before a grand jury. Only a federal prosecutor can. And any prosecutor worth his salt, isn't going to bring a perjury investigation or charge against anyone, unless they have a clear evidentiary trail that the witness knowingly lied.
 
My point is that if this were in industry they would be fired for refusing to discuss the discharge of their duties with their employers.
Yup. But they still have rights here. Personally I would have sacked them if I were Bush. I'd be sick of people doing crap like this.
 
Perjury has to be pretty clearly proven to get a conviction.

Maybe she is affraid of incriminating herself in other ways too?
 
Congress can't bring a person before a grand jury. Only a federal prosecutor can. And any prosecutor worth his salt, isn't going to bring a perjury investigation or charge against anyone, unless they have a clear evidentiary trail that the witness knowingly lied.
However, a decision can be made to bring somebody before a Grand Jury because of testimony in front of Congress. Much like a person could use a position of AG politically. And amazingly it can be done from either side.

This is really all an exercise of thought. I don't believe I would be in this position as I would have told the truth from the beginning.
 
However, a decision can be made to bring somebody before a Grand Jury because of testimony in front of Congress. Much like a person could use a position of AG politically. And amazingly it can be done from either side.

This is really all an exercise of thought. I don't believe I would be in this position as I would have told the truth from the beginning.


However, a decision can be made to bring somebody before a Grand Jury because of testimony in front of Congress.

But that decision is in the hands of a professional federal prosecutor. Not Dennis Kucinich.
 
However, a decision can be made to bring somebody before a Grand Jury because of testimony in front of Congress.

But that decision is in the hands of a professional federal prosecutor. Not Dennis Kucinich.
The decision for somebody to use their 5th Amendment right may have something to do with what that same professional may do with a misrepresented or misconstrued testimony believing themselves to be in the right. As I said before, would you want to end up the goat? Honestly, you may want this one to "get" them, and I understand people's reaction. But stating that somebody is unequivocally guilty because of pleading the 5th is pretty much an overstatement based on wishes. There are other reasons that somebody may invoke their 5th Amendment Rights.
 
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