How do you invoke the protection against self-incrimination if you “didn’t do anything wrong”? What’s to incriminate?
What did the President know and when did he know it?
Welcome to the Encore Presentation of “On the advice of my legal counsel i exert my Fifth amendment right not to answer that, congressman.”
I will like to see this statement uttered about 150-200 times by her. Now THAT is going to be 2014 campaign footage right there.
Cameras, ROLL FILM!!!!!
The precedents are clear that this is not something you can turn on and turn off, he told POLITICO. She made testimony after she was sworn in, asserted her innocence in a number of areas, even answered questions asserting that a document was true So she gave partial testimony and then tried to revoke that.
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The approval of the document was her downfall. Issa was awesome. I believe it was perfectly planned with Jordan and a few others in on it. They rocked today.
Excellent!
For being such a savvy, with it, so inside-the-beltway operator, she should have known (as well as her high powered lawyer) that you keep your mouth shut if you plead the Fifth.
Can’t have it both ways, honey.
I realized this as soon as she opened her yap. I am old enough to remember the McCarthy hearings, the Mafia hearings etc. No one said anything but “I’m taking the fifth”. She like so many of the progressives think that they are smarter than the panel. It looks like she outsmarted herself.
10 to 1 Levin, if he is back from his son’s graduation, rips Issa a new one
on how he handled this matter. And gives high marks to Trey Gowdy.
Day v. Boston Edison Co., 150 F.R.D. 16, 21 (D.Mass. 1993):
(There is no question but that the privilege against self-incrimination can be waived, not only explicitly but also implicitly by failing to assert it. Thus if a witness who is compelled to testify,does, in fact, testify and during testimony reveals information instead of claiming the privilege,the witness can be said to have waived the privilege as to the information disclosed.")
Lerner made statements prior to invoking 5th Amendment privilege and can be compelled to testify on those statements.
She violates the American peoples’ First Amendment and then hides behind the Fifth Amendment.
HA! HA! Watch Lerner take a sudden vacation!
Of course she did. There would have been repercussions but nobody physically dragged her in.
She will not come back.
Issa rolled over like a good puppy and let her go and ignored the protestations of Rep Trey Gowdy.
Sorry, the lawyer from Harvard (who is probably a hardcore liberal activist) is wrong.
You can’t turn it off and on. If they could, all defendants could take the stand, answer only the questions they want, and claim the 5th when the Prosecutor starts asking questions.
The last link in the article (”it’s time for Lerner to go”) is well worth a click!
Cue sudden “tripping; bumped head; clotted blood” in 3, 2, 1......
Yeppity, yep, yep!
You can't waltz into a courtroom, become a witness for yourself...and then turn around and refuse to be a witness againstyourself.
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There IS a reason Lady Justice carries a set of scales, and Lerner tipped them by opening her mouth.
When they closed the hearing, Issa said they were going to consult their counsel.
Obviously .. they did .. and found out Trey Gowdy was correct.
When you want to Declare the 5th, you cannot say anything but: “I invoke the 5th Amendment and I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may/might incriminate me”.
That information is the only thing you can say. So, she either got HORRIBLE legal counsel, or she made the preliminary statement WITHOUT HER COUNSEL’s consent or knowledge. Either way .. it says to me .. the left thinks the repubs are so stupid, they won’t know she can’t make a statement and also invoke the 5th.
Thank goodness for Trey Gowdy - who being a former PRESECUTOR, knew what the law said. And .. it showed up Cummings - AGAIN - for the partisan he is .. by saying Shulman was a “Bush appointee” (while neglecting to say that Shulman was a DEMOCRAT DONOR).
And re Cummings comment that the hearing should be like a court hearing. Trey Gowdy with his Prosecutor’s knowledge showed up Cummings again; exposing the folly of Ms. Lerner’s attempt at the 5th Amendment.
They should bring her in every day, all day for the rest of her life. At least that way, she wouldn't have time to assault the rest of us.