Gonzales Aide Cries Persecution Before the Fact

Posted on March 26, 2007
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What is Monica M. Goodling afraid of? Goodling’s attorney, John Dowd, seems to claim that the Scooter Libby trial is evidence that even truthful testimony would put her in jeopardy.

It was not Libby’s trial that put him in jeopardy. It was the lies. It’s still not clear who’s lies, but Libby’s conviction was for prior lies in his grand jury testimony, not for testifying truthfully.

From the AP via NPR:

“The potential for legal jeopardy for Ms. Goodling from even her most truthful and accurate testimony under these circumstances is very real,” Dowd said. Goodling was key to the Justice Department’s political response to the growing controversy. She took a leave of absence last week.

“One need look no further than the recent circumstances and proceedings involving Lewis Libby,” Dowd said, a reference to the recent conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff in the CIA leak case.

Goodling says in a declaration to the Senate committee, according to the Washington Post,

Schumer, Leahy and other lawmakers have already “drawn conclusions” about the U.S. attorney firings.

I don’t believe the 5th amendment has much to say about protection from what you think others are thinking. I don’t know whether Goodling believes she may have done something criminal or if she only believes she will not be treated fairly by Democratic U.S. Senators in open committee. She needs the 5th in the case of the former. It is unfair in all kinds of ways to apply it in the case of the latter.