If you've been following the news today, you were bound to heard audio of peanut butter executives taking the fifth concerning their role in the peanut butter contamination cases that cause suffering and death across the country recently.
While it may be maddening to hear these officials refuse to answer Congress regarding the peanut butter fiasco, it's well within their rights to do so.
Their refusal to answer questions is a right afforded them by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. It's a right against self-incrimination. It's a foundational right and part of the checks and balances system inherent in our judicial system.
It's the same right of which you may avail yourself if you're questioned by the police in a DUI stop, a drug bust, or any other potentially criminal activity. The right preserves your ability to defend yourself against the government's charges.
It may not be particularly popular, especially in light of the peanut butter scandal, but in order for it to work, it has to apply to all person irrespective of the particular situation in which they find themselves.
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