Please check in if you oppose the massive surveillance being conducted on American citizens

[Dragonfli]

269. It was Congress's political decision to grant immunity to North that screwed up th conviction

I have explained this to you before, yet you insist on lying - I will repost it for you again.

North was indicted in March 1988 on 16 Iran/contra charges, along with Poindexter, retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard V. Secord and Albert Hakim in a 23-count indictment. After the cases were severed and the central conspiracy charges were dropped due to classified-information problems, North stood trial beginning in February 1989 on 12 counts. On May 4, 1989, he was found guilty of three counts, including aiding and abetting obstruction of Congress, shredding and altering official documents, and accepting an illegal gratuity from Secord

The appeals were argued at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on February 6, 1990. The court ruled on July 20, 1990.

By a 2-1 vote, the Appeals Court set aside North's convictions. The divided court ruled that Judge Gesell erred in failing to hold a full hearing as required by Kastigar to ensure that the prosecution witnesses made no use of North's immunized congressional testimony.

Despite the dismissal of North's convictions, the prosecution of the case showed that even individuals entrenched in national security matters can be held accountable for crimes committed in the course of their official duties. It was not classified information, after all, that caused North to prevail on appeal. It was Congress's political decision to grant immunity to North, despite the danger it posed to prosecution.

You really should stop defending Republicans illegal actions and suggesting they are untouchable. The rule of law is the only thing that is there to keep them and frankly all of us in line.

Do not hold some above the law for political reasons unless you dare admit a belief that there are those the law applies to and those that they do not apply to, in truth such a system is not a Democracy.

I do not know if you take your stance due to loyalty to criminal Republicans or loyalty to those too spineless to charge them with the crimes they have committed, but neither option would endear me to your POV.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2985697