4 ms·
James Clapper blatantly lied to Congress and hasn’t even been indicted for anything as a result. These guys do this shit all the time and just get away with it.
by jrs95 8y ago
James Clapper blatantly lied to Congress and hasn’t even been indicted for anything as a result. These guys do this shit all the time and just get away with it.
- asimpletune 8y agoI always wondered what happened with that?
- jlgaddis 8y agoNothing. IIRC, they had 5 years in which to charge him if they wanted to, and the 5-year mark just recently passed witb, obviously, no action taken.
- strictnein 8y agoHe was asked a question he couldn't answer in open session. Not sure what you expect him to do, to be honest. Revealing a program like that would have violated far more serious laws. This is not a defense of his actions, just the reality he was presented with.
- cloakandswagger 8y agoWhat would I expect him to do? Either answer honestly, or not answer the question. Instead he lied, definitively, under oath. Are you really suggesting that his ONLY option was to lie to Congress?
- jrs95 8y agoThere are ways he can inform Congress after the fact. He did not. This whole “secret law” thing is illegitimate anyways.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago"I cannot answer this question in an open session, for reasons of national security". Was that not an option?
- Jeremy1026 8y agoComey seemed to have no problem giving that answer. So it is definitely valid.
- strictnein 8y agoThe problem with that answer is that it means yes in the context he was asked it. If the answer was no, he could say no.
- cycrutchfield 8y agoBecause perjury is a little more nuanced than just saying something that is false. Now get over it, move on.
- cloakandswagger 8y agoYou're right--the crime of perjury requires someone to lie while under oath, which is what Clapper did.
- Broken_Hippo 8y agoNo, it is much more nuanced than that. Giving false information is not the same as lying. With perjury, you have to willingly lie or give misinformation. On purpose. Being honest about not being able to answer a question in an open forum isn't perjury. That is someone trying to follow conflicting laws and erring on the side of caution. If his information was bad and he wasn't aware at the time, it isn't perjury. Misremember but try to answer? Not perjury.
- jrs95 8y agoHe didn’t say he couldn’t answer, he lied about illegal surveillance programs.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- CWuestefeld 8y agoMartha Stewart went to prison for lying to the government even when not under oath - and so have countless other people. This is now standard operating procedure for law enforcement, as it's much easier to catch a person in a random (and possibly unintentional) lie than to prove a real crime.