http://definitions.uslegal.com/d/dirty-hands-doctrine/
Dirty Hands Doctrine Law & Legal Definition
Dirty hands doctrine refers to an equitable defense available to a defendant against the plaintiff. In this defense, the defendant can claim that the plaintiff should not be granted relief because the plaintiff has acted in bad faith regarding the subject matter of the complaint. A person is abstained from receiving equitable relief when s/he acts in bad faith or in an unethical manner. The rule embodied in this doctrine is that the participant in a wrongful act may not recover damages resulting from it. Generally it is the defendant who claims the defense; hence, the burden of proof is on the defendant to show that the plaintiff is not acting in good faith. This doctrine is also known as the unclean hands doctrine.
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IOW: Clapper lied in his March 2013 testimony. He is the Gubmint (plaintiff) with dirty hands.
Something that I have been thinking about today, Petraeus worked under the NSA. I am wondering if that story about the FBI search of Petraeus’ emails was entirely truthful. It just seems very coincidental that he was taken down by exposing his private emails.