Stone pleads the Fifth to snub Senate document request

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Donald Trump's longtime political ally Roger Stone invoked the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination as he declined to share documents and testimony with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to a letter posted Tuesday by the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

"Mr. Stone's invocation of his Fifth Amendment privilege must be understood by all to be the assertion of a Constitutional right by an innocent citizen who denounces secrecy," Stone's attorney, Grant Smith, said in the letter, dated Dec. 3.

Stone is under scrutiny in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, in part over allegations that he had foreknowledge of WikiLeaks' dump of Clinton campaign emails the month before the election. Stone has denied any advance knowledge, despite a series of tweets foreshadowing the contents of the emails, which he attributed to educated guesses and indirect information provided through an intermediary with WikiLeaks.

Stone told POLITICO on Monday that he doesn't have a pact with Trump's legal team to share defense strategies, unlike former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is in jail after being convicted of tax and bank fraud. But Stone has largely aligned his public messaging on Mueller with the president's, frequently bashing the special counsel's tactics.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/stone-pleads-the-fifth-to-snub-senate-document-request/ar-BBQv1jG?li=BBnb7Kz

[exboyfil]

1. How are documents protected by the 5th Amendment?

Only attorney-client work product should be protected - I think.

[NastyRiffraff]

5. No, they are not

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. But the 5thA doesn't apply to documents or other materials (tapes, etc.)

[flyingfysh]

2. that doesn't work for documents

The 5th only means that he himself can't be compelled to testify. It does not allow him to keep documents secret.

[malaise]

3. I heard an expert on Lawrence last night saying that the 5th does not apply

to documents

[matt819]

4. Huh?

I'm no lawyer, but I've watched a lot of TV.

If he's subpoenaed and doesn't show up, he's in contempt of Congress, or something like that.

If he shows up, he's perfectly entitled to assert his fifth amendment rights.

I don't think he can plead the fifth via the media. He can certainly tell us he's going to plead the fifth, but he at least has to show up.

As for requested documents, I'm guessing the same applies. If he fails to produce them, he's in contempt, whether the shows up or not. But I will admit that my TV lawyering isn't all that comprehensive.

And, on the same issue - can someone plead the fifth in front of a grand jury?

[exboyfil]

6. On your last point I think yes you can plead the 5th

unless you are given immunity for your testimony.