a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by cgod
cgod  ·  2553 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Mike Flynn Offers to Testify in Exchange for Immunity

It protects you from being prosected based on your own statements. Hopefully prosecutors won't prosecute you based on your helpful testimony. It can be a devil's deal with the prosecution continually demanding cooperation with the threat of jail time forever hanging over your head.

Immunity for testifying to Congress is stranger than your regular criminal immunity. Normally a deal is made with the prosecutor that they won't charge you if you cooperate. There is no legally binding contract that they won't prosecute you but I they give you immunity it garuntees that they can't use your testimony against you at a later date ad long as it's truthful. The person who cuts the deal with you is also the person who decides if you get charged, if they want to make deals in the future than they will let you off the hook if your testimony is useful. In Flynn's case the person's granting immunity aren't the same people who would prosecute a crime. Seems a little bit shaky to me.

Maybe johnnyFive can tell us more because I'm no lawyer and I might be all wrong about much of this. Congressional immunity might have its own issues that I'm unaware of and I'm sure I've missed some nuance o criminal immunity that a trained lawyer would easily illuminate me about.





johnnyFive  ·  2553 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I can't really say what his specific deal is (WSJ has an aggressive paywall).

    but I they give you immunity it garuntees that they can't use your testimony against you at a later date ad long as it's truthful.

Eh, if it's anything potentially damaging to yourself, the Fifth Amendment prohibition on self-incrimination will do that.