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> Lying to the federal government or while you're on trial is not protected under free speech Lying in trials is not protected, but very rarely prosecuted. The
by forapurpose 8y ago
> Lying to the federal government or while you're on trial is not protected under free speech
Lying in trials is not protected, but very rarely prosecuted. The penalty usually is that you lose credibility with the judge and jury, and piss them off.
- himom 8y agoIANAL. Last I checked, successful prosecution of perjury results in a wobbler felony sentence in most parts of the US. Were you trying to say lying under oath is usually very difficult to prove?
- creaghpatr 8y agoPerjury traps are typically used by the intel agencies to force people to cooperate with larger cases, the threat of bankrupting their families with a multi-million dollar lawsuit is usually enough to get them to plead guilty to lying in exchange for cooperation and immunity.
- forapurpose 8y agoNot a lawyer either. > Were you trying to say lying under oath is usually very difficult to prove? No, I'm saying it is rarely prosecuted at all, based on what I've been told by attorneys.
- cloakandswagger 8y agoIt's more correct to say that it is selectively prosecuted. Mike Flynn had his career ruined by a perjury trap that saw him lie about things much less important than a federal agency spying on US citizens.
- kevin_thibedeau 8y agoLying about foreign contacts is a big deal. It is very much an important thing and you are required to list them when applying for a security clearance. He didn't just mistakenly forget about them.