Are you sure about that? I mean, can’t you be subpoenaed to appear and testify without being under oath?
Any lawyers here?
Not a lawyer but my understanding is that a deposition is always taken under oath. Then later you have them before the committee testifying under oath and the answers BETTER match up.
Dear Lee’s..
It may help to analyze and break down the word “subpoena”.
“sub” from the Latin stem meaning “below”, and
“peona” well I;’m sure you know what the meaning of that word is,
it should be plain to see that it means that Issa’s got him by the testicular appendages.
Lurking’
lawyer yes, but this is a matter of history and commity (with a “t”).
Cabinet officers are routinely asked questions without an oath.
This Pickering is not such a rank.
Hillary’s Benghazi testimony was not under oath per the custom.
However, in the Scooter Libby investigation (anyone remember that?) the independent counsel appointed by brother Al Gonzolez - Tomas de Torquemada Fitzgerald — even questioned W and Cheney and of course Scooter and Rover.
I do believe that was all under oath. But even if it was not, and in the case of Hillary lying to Congress, there are criminal laws about obstructing justice and Congress (sometimes the same thing - oxymoron?).
There is another time-honored custom, pre-dates independent counsel and special prosecutor legislation ala Ken Starr, Archibald Cox, et al, when either House of Congress may go to the DC Court of Appeals, petition the Court to appoint a special prosecutor if a sufficient showing is made that (a) a federal criminal law has been violated, b) the Attorney General has refused or neglected to prosecute it, and (c) the Attorney General is either directly involved (F&F, AP phone taps) or he is so close to the various targets so as to have an inherent conflict of interest.
No one even speaks of this stuff. Where are the history majors?? Or did they all switch over to art history?
There is another time-honored custom (until the law class Kentan came aboard) where the President orders all his people (exec branch) to cooperate with investigators, waive their confidential source role with media, waive all their rights (Scooter & Rover), or else [I guess they get fired?]. No one mentions that either.
Shalom
Pickering wants to testify in a public hearing and has volunteered to do that.
Issa wants Pickering to testify in a private hearing but Pickering said no to the private testimony.
So, Issa issued a subpoena to force him to testify privately.