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Not all improper behavior is a crime you know. Even less is provably a crime. One of the IRS agents involved pled the fifth, which you can only do if an honest
by marcoperaza 10y ago
Not all improper behavior is a crime you know. Even less is provably a crime.
One of the IRS agents involved pled the fifth, which you can only do if an honest answer would incriminate you.
- dastbe 10y agoincrimination is not the same thing as guilt, though. If you have legitimate concern that your words could be misconstrued and used against you, it is perfectly justifiable for you to refuse testimony.
- tedunangst 10y agoWhat??? You can plead the fifth whenever you like, not only when you're guilty.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- mikeash 10y agoWe're taking the invocation of Constitutional rights as evidence of guilt, now?
- ceejayoz 10y ago> One of the IRS agents involved pled the fifth, which you can only do if an honest answer would incriminate you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Self-incrimination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_... To "plead the Fifth" is to refuse to answer any question because "the implications of the question, in the setting in which it is asked" lead a claimant to possess a "reasonable cause to apprehend danger from a direct answer", believing that "a responsive answer to the question or an explanation of why it cannot be answered might be dangerous because injurious disclosure could result." i.e. "This is a political witch hunt and my answer will get twisted no matter what I say" is a perfectly valid reason to plead the Fifth. It is not evidence of guilt - if it were, it'd be a useless right.
- zaroth 10y agoI like this part even better, "The privilege serves to protect the innocent who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances." Describes exactly any federal investigation into another federal agency.