Justice Department Aide to Invoke Fifth Ammendment
We have all heard that the Gonzales matter is a perfectly legitimate personnel matter. So now it comes out that Monica Goodling will be involking the 5th Amendment protections against self-incrimination. Wonderful, makes you wonder what she is hiding. For that matter, it is not obvious that Karl Rove and Harriet Miers interviewing “off the record, not on oath and not for transcription” are seeking to avoid purjury indictments.
Anyway, in today’s New York Times, Monica Goodling, a senior Justice Department official involved in the firings of federal prosecutors, will refuse to answer questions at upcoming Senate hearings, citing Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, her lawyer said Monday.
The White House, meanwhile, continued to stand by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales despite new calls over the weekend for his resignation and documents that indicate he may have been more involved in the dismissals than he has previously acknowledged.
Democrats have accused the Justice Department and the White House of purging the prosecutors for political reasons. The Bush administration maintains the firings were not improper because U.S. attorneys are political appointees. Click here to read more.