Democrats' bad faith affects decision not to testify

NY Times:

A lawyer for a Justice Department official involved in the controversial firings of eight United States attorneys said today that his client would not testify on Capitol Hill because she is convinced she would not be treated fairly.

The official, Monica Goodling, the Justice Department’s liaison to the White House, is invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and so will decline to answer “any and all questions regarding the firings,” her lawyer, John M. Dowd, said.

But Ms. Goodling’s refusal does not signal that she has anything to hide, Mr. Dowd told the Senate Judiciary Committee’s chairman, Senator Patrick J. Leahy. Rather, Mr. Dowd said, it is a recognition of the “hostile and questionable environment” that has been spawned by the controversy.

“For example, you, Mr. Chairman, have concluded that the attorney general and deputy attorney general ‘failed to tell Congress the whole truth about this matter under oath,’ ” Mr. Dowd told Mr. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont.

Mr. Dowd also cited remarks by another committee Democrat, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, who asserted on March 13 that the Justice Department statement’s about the firings consisted of “misleading statement after misleading statement.” Such remarks illustrate the hostile atmosphere permeating the controversy over the firings, Mr. Dowd said.

“The potential for legal jeopardy for Ms. Goodling from even her most truthful and accurate testimony under these circumstances is very real,” Mr. Dowd said. “One need look no further than the recent circumstances and proceedings involving Lewis Libby.”

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To bolster his assertions, Mr. Dowd cited comments by the Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, expressing concern about the inquiry’s fairness and objectivity.

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You get a flavor of the Democrats bad faith with their response to this development:

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Mr. Leahy said this afternoon he was disappointed in Ms. Goodling’s decision, “but everyone 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,” Mr. Leahy added.

Mr. Schumer also expressed disappointment that Ms. Goodling would not appear before the judiciary panel. “Each day brings new developments, making it even more imperative to find out what happened,” the senator said.

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I am sure that their disappointment is really related to the concerns expressed by her lawyer. In a court of law they could never have gotten away with the statements made above, particularly Leahy's. He should know better as a former prosecutor. It is not her conduct that caused her attorney's concern but Leahy's and Shumer's. This is just typical of the bad faith with which Democrats have pursued this matter of the lawful termination of employment of US Attorneys. These guys are absolutely shameless.