It’s been five years since former US spy chief James Clapper lied to Congress about the NSA’s giant surveillance program, and the statute of limitations for his crime is coming to end, guaranteeing him a peaceful retirement.
On March 12, 2013, Clapper, then director of national intelligence, knowingly lied to the US Select Committee on Intelligence, when he was asked by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) whether the National Security Agency collected “any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans.”
“No sir. Not willingly,” Clapper said.
The full extent of Clapper’s unabashed dishonesty was revealed to the world just three months later, when NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked troves of documents detailing the agency’s vast, warrantless surveillance of American citizens.
In the years that followed, numerous lawmakers called for Clapper to be prosecuted for lying to Congress – but to no avail.
Prosecutions under the two criminal statutes that cover lying to Congress – relating to perjury and making false statements – must be brought within five years under the Statute of Limitations. This means that, as of Monday, March 12, 2018, Clapper can no longer be charged with perjury, even though he lied and everybody knows it.
Not everyone who fibs to Congress is blessed with such a curiously unresponsive Justice Department, though. Over the past 10 years, there have been at least two individuals charged with desecrating the halls of Congress with their democracy-damaging lies.
In 2007, second-ranking Interior Department official J. Steven Griles admitted to misleading the Senate about the criminal doings of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
www.rt.com/usa/421041-clapper-perjury-congress-five-years/
In 2013, James Clapper, then director of national intelligence, lied to the US Select Committee on Intelligence.
When he was asked by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) whether the NSA collected “any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans,” Clapper replied: “No sir. Not willingly.”
The article explains:
The full extent of Clapper’s unabashed dishonesty was revealed to the world just three months later, when NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked troves of documents detailing the agency’s vast, warrantless surveillance of American citizens.
According to political analyst Charles Ortel, Clapper
has been frankly fundamentally dishonest on more than one occasion, whether appearing before Congress or speaking to the American people. political analyst Charles Ortel told RT. This example cannot be let alone. If he’s not going to be prosecuted for this, there should be a deep investigation of this and of his role in the surveillance state and other abuses.
h/t axolotl_peyotl
No statute on Treason during a Time of War ….. Clapper was “Providing Material Aid to the Terrorists” by gumming up the Government with his lies ….. HANG him.
—- Employing DELAYING tactics in answering questions when we are (supposedly) “at war with terrorism” , is Aiding and Abetting Terrorism. …… Hillary and her ACCOMPLICES are tying up and wasting OUR resources. THAT is a tactic of waging war, tie up and delay the ENEMY
we SUPPOSEDLY are fighting a “war on terror” and she is destroying documents that might be needed? She is Providing Material Aid and Support to the TERRORISTS by IMPEDING the war effort ….. even just her screwing around DELAYING when all our resources are needed for the war ………. things are supposedly so desperate they have to take 5 ounce shampoos away from GRANNIES, and GROPE Children ….
Also . . .what if one of those sealed indictments is for / about him ??? Would that put him in jeopardy ?? Not familiar with the minutee of the law.