Political Quotes

“I thank my dear friend, the distinguished ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. I think, Mr. Speaker, if the Founders were here today and if they had witnessed the proceedings on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee with respect to Ms. Lois Lerner, they would have unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to the Fifth Amendment because rights were trampled on, frankly, starting with the First Amendment rights of the ranking member himself, who was cut off and not allowed to speak even after the chairman availed himself of the opportunity for an opening statement and no fewer than seven questions before cutting off entirely the ranking member of our committee. But then we proceeded to trample on the Fifth Amendment while we were at it, and case law is what governs here. The court has said the self- incrimination clause, the Fifth Amendment, must be accorded liberal construction in favor of the right it was intended to secure since the respect normally accorded the privilege is buttressed by the presumption of innocence accorded to the defendant in a criminal trial. In other words, it is the same. It is the equivalent of the presumption of innocence. Madison said that if all men--and he meant all men and women, I am sure--were angels, we wouldn't need the Fifth Amendment. Lois Lerner is not to be defended here. She is not a heroic character. But she is a citizen who has an enumerated right in the Constitution of the United States.…”