Leahy: Why does Gonzales aide fear incrimination?

[cali]

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) responds to news that Gonzales aide Monica Goodling will invoke the Fifth Amendment:

“It is disappointing that Ms. Goodling has decided to withhold her important testimony from the Committee as it pursues its investigation into this matter, but everybody has the constitutional right not to incriminate themselves with regard to criminal conduct.

“The American people are left to wonder what conduct is at the base of Ms. Goodling’s concern that she may incriminate herself in connection with criminal charges if she appears before the Committee under oath.“

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/26/leahy-why-does-gonzales-aide-fear-incrimination/

So there's the shot across the bow from Leahy. TPM informs us that Goodling's Lawyer was pissed and shot back:

<snip>

The line about wondering what Goodling was hiding was too much for her lawyer, who immediately shot off a letter saying that "your comment ignores the very basis on which Ms. Goodling has asserted her constitutional right... the Fifth Amendment protects innocent persons who might otherwise be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances, as much as it protects those who may have done something wrong."

He then goes on to deride the "politically charged environment" created by Leahy and his peers in which "even innocent witnesses would be well-advised not to testify." So there.

Sen. Leahy? Ball's in your court

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002880.php

And the war of words intensifies.

[H2O Man]

1. This is good.

I suspect that Senator Leahy is aware of more than has been made public thus far. He has had a certain confidence and intensity that I associate with a person who knows what they are doing, and why they are doing it. John Dowd has stated that a senior Justice Department official has told one Senator that Monica Goodling and others told him some incorrect things before he spoke to Congress. That may not be so "ambiguous" as her defense attorney would claim.

[radfringe]

2. Goes back to the big question

What are the loyal bushies hiding?

When news broke of Homeland Security, NSA and FBI tapping our phone, monitoring our internet activity, reading our mail the standard 'loyal bushie' response was "if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear"

So if Gonzales and his band of loyal bushies have nothing to hide - why are they afraid to testify under oath, in public and with a transcript? What is the real reason Monica Goodling feel she has to take the 5th?

the more they balk at testifying the guiltier they look

[BuyingThyme]

3. Using this Puke's logic,

anybody who is ever compelled to testify under oath about anything should take the Fifth. Either that, or he's a fucking liar.

[cali]

4. I'll take B.

He's a fucking liar.

[Disturbed]

5. She needs to be called up and grilled.

She can plead the 5th to every question. The questions may be as important as the lack of response.

[malaise]

6. 100% correct n/t

[cali]

7. She will be. I don't think there's any doubt

about that. And the sooner the better.

[lazer47]

8. She is hedging for immunity, before she testifies

[The Wizard]

9. Goodling is not

an innocent bystander ensnared in something beyond her control. She was and is part of the process that got us politicized judicial system so as to help Ku Klux Karl rig future elections. She has unclean hands and more dirt on the dirtiest of all Administrations. She's not being charged with a crime, at least not yet. Why do visions of Mitchell, Haldeman, Erlichman and Liddy keep popping into my head?

[A Simple Game]

10. I think you may have hit it dead center.

"She's not being charged with a crime, at least not yet."

"at least not yet." I really feel that is the key, they are hiding something and fear these hearings will expose it.