DOJ: Don't Blame Whitman for 9/11 Speech

[FourScore]

So according to this judge, a politician can knowingly tell lies to the American people, even if the consequences result in thousands of people suffering from debilitating illnesses and slow, painful deaths. My God, that woman's lies will probably result in more deaths than the actual number of casualties on 9-11. This is unreal. I guess that opens the door for politicians to be able to say ANYTHING.

A government lawyer urged a federal appeals panel Monday to find that former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman cannot be held liable for telling residents near the World Trade Center site that the air was safe to breathe after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Department of Justice attorney Alisa Klein said that holding Whitman liable will set a dangerous precedent in future disasters: "The consequence would be a default to silence. If you speak, you will be potentially held liable. Then the clear message for government officials is to say nothing."

Residents, students and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn filed the lawsuit, saying they were exposed to hazardous dust and debris from the fallen twin towers after Sept. 11. They say Whitman should be forced to pay damages to properly clean homes, schools and businesses and be forced to create a fund for medical monitoring of victims, some of whom claim they suffer from asthma, lung disease and other ailments.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts in Manhattan refused to dismiss Whitman as a defendant, calling the actions of the former New Jersey governor "conscience-shocking."

"No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws," Batts wrote.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case Monday.

http://www.fool.com/news/associated-press/2007/12/10/doj-dont-blame-whitman-for-911-speech.aspx

[Make7]

1. Perhaps saying nothing would have been better than lying. ( n/t )

[stevedeshazer]

2. I don't think she was under any pressure then

I'm sure she was just speaking the truth.

[terisan]

3. A public official is always free to resign rather than lie or cover-up. Whitman choose evil. nt

[Schema Thing]

4. This is sort of an equal inverse of yelling "fire" in a crowded theater

It's like yelling "don't worry, it's safe" when you've seen a glimpse of fire in the projection room.

[KT2000]

5. So - Just following orders

is now OK?

[zbdent]

6. Because Republicans would be held responsible for the deaths caused by

ignoring the effects of Global Climate Change just because they wanted to insult Al Gore and ignore intelligence ...