Bravo to former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers. Ebbers was called to testify before Congress today and invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to do so. But before invoking his rights, he indicated he would like to testify but decided not to based on legal counsel and added,
I believe that no one will conclude that I engaged in any criminal or fraudulent conduct during my tenure at WorldCom.
This angered the attendant politicians to no end with Mike Oxley (R-Ohio) and Max Sandlin (D-Texas) both making statements saying that they would look into whether or not Ebbers could make such statements and then invoke his Fifth Amendment rights. That is straight out of the playbook of the House Unamerican Activities Committee.
These sort of televised Congressional hearings have become a national travesty. The point is rarely to get to the bottom of wrongdoing as much as it is to earn bottom feeding members of Congress a national spotlight showing them “getting tough” on whatever the target of the day is. Although they can refused to testify, people called by Congress cannot refused to show up without risking a citation for contempt of Congress.
Congress’ investigative power is derived from its legislative function — the legislature obviously needs to be able to conduct investigations before it produces legislation. But the point of these sort of hearings is pure public relations and/or vindictiveness. The Congress should be ashamed at such a naked abuse of its power.