We will be hearing that a lot out of Wall Street...
Pleading the Fifth:
"I assert my rights under the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate (or be evidence used against) me."
more often...the Oliver North Version:
"On the advice of counsel I respectfully and regretfully decline to answer the question based on my constitutional rights."
Sgt. Schultz: "I did not even get up this morning."
I suspect a lot of us are wishing we did not get up upon hearing the not-so-surprising news about the Goldman Sachs allegations of fraud and that Merrill Lynch other large financial institutions are also likely culpable. It's enough to make one's head spin on how the whole system could collapse under the weight of corruption of these institutions and the regulatory agencies that allegedly watch them.
As outrageous as it seems, the bankers if called to testify in court or before Congress or regulatory agencies, do have the US Constitutional right to "plead the Fifth."
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