Solyndra???s Fifth Amendment Rights Reminiscent of Other Cases (ContributorNetwork)

Executives at Solyndra asserted their Fifth Amendment rights of self-incrimination while testifying before Congress on Friday. CEO Brian Harrison and chief financial officer Bill Stover declined to answer questions before the House of Representatives. Despite their lack of testimony, Congress still hopes to find answers as to why the solar power company went bankrupt after getting a $528 million loan from the Department of Energy.

Officials at Solyndra are the latest high-profile case involving someone's right to invoke their right to deny testimony. The two men can invoke those rights because of the U.S. Constitution's clause that states no one can testify against themselves under oath. Here are some other famous instances of people invoking their Fifth Amendment rights while delivering testimony.

Oliver North

Time magazine reported Oliver North was a lieutenant colonel in the Marines when he was called to testify about the Iran-contra scandal. Allegedly, North had knowledge of arms sales to Nicaraguan rebels. Because North worked with the National Security Council, he would have had knowledge of any secret deals between the government and rebels.

Both Iran and Nicaragua had very strained relations with the United States government at the time. Despite Nicaragua being under a communist government, helping rebels in the country was clearly against policy of meddling in other country's affairs.

Unions

Union members and bosses would be called on to testify in front of Congress. As far back as the 1950s and the Jimmy Hoffa era, union leaders have pleaded the Fifth Amendment in the middle of saying things before the House or Senate.

Time magazine reported Hoffa wanted the AFL-CIO, and Dave Beck in particular, to revoke its policy of instructing its members to plead the fifth throughout the 1950s. The New York Times reported in 1987 that the AFL-CIO bosses were up to their old tricks again. Richard Trumka was the secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO in 1987 involving a bribery scandal.

Mel Gibson

TMZ reported Mel Gibson invoked his Fifth Amendment right in a videotaped deposition regarding his case with ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. At the time, the couple was in a contentious fight over Gibson's abuse allegations. They also have a child together.

Jack Abramoff

PBS states Congressional lobbyist Jack Abramoff invoked his Fifth Amendment right while he was being investigate on illegal lobbying practices. The scandal ran deep as several members of Congress had to distance themselves from Abramoff.

The lobbyist was accused of influencing tribal elections on American Indian lands. He was also a part of a scandal in the U.S. Mariana Islands with low-wage Chinese workers and Chinese companies on American soil that were exempt from U.S. minimum wage laws.

Mark Fuhrman

Former Los Angeles Police detective Mark Fuhrman was briefly put on the stand at the O.J. Simpson murder trial. He was asked questions such as if he ever filed a false police report to which Fuhrman said "yes." The next question made Fuhrman invoke his Fifth Amendment rights. CNN reported defense attorney Gerald Uelmen asked Furhman if he had falsified evidence in the Simpson case. The detective then invoked his right and was silent on the matter.

William Browning is a research librarian.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110924/us_ac/9193101_solyndras_fifth_amendment_rights_reminiscent_of_other_cases

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