March 26, 2007

Lawyer for DOJ Counsel to Gonzales: Client Monica Goodling Will Take the Fifth, Not Testify Before Congress

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Monica GoodlingMonica Goodling, a Department of Justice Counsel for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (inset) is “assert[ing] her Fifth Amendment privilege as to any and all questions regarding the firings of U.S. Attorneys, and any other questions related” to the firings.

Those were the words of John Dowd, Goodling’s criminal defense lawyer. Dowd chairs the criminal defense practice at the D.C. law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP.

As this blog predicted over the weekend and today, Dowd has moved to protect Goodling from the possibility that if she were to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee or House Judiciary Committee in their investigations of U.S. Attorney firings, that such testimony could result in charges against her.

According to Dowd:

It is not uncommong for witnesses who give testimony before the Congress to face criminal investigations and even indictments for perjury false statements, or obstruction of congressional proceedings…Accordingly, Ms. Goodling will not answer any questions before the [Senate and House Judiciary] Committee[s] or [their] staff under these circumstances.

Goodling’s name appears very frequently in the reams of e-mails that have been released so far to the U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committees.

Goodling is shown above at a Regent University alumni event where she received her law degree in 1999. According to the school’s website, it bills itself as “America’s Preeminent Christian University.” The institution also claims to be “The nation’s academic center for Christian thought and action.”

According to The Washington Post, Goodling is currently “on an indefinite leave of absence from Gonzales’s office.”

Technorati: Monica Goodling, John Dowd, Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney FiringsSenate Judiciary Committee, Fifth Amendment

7 responses to "Lawyer for DOJ Counsel to Gonzales: Client Monica Goodling Will Take the Fifth, Not Testify Before Congress"

  1. # But wait, there’s more! - Justice Saga Continues pingbacked on March 26th, 2007:

    […] Michael at Try Not To Panic has a great post: You Say Corruption, I Say BushCo Gonzales Watch: Lawyer for DOJ Counsel to Gonzales: Client Monica Goodling Will Take the Fifth, Not Testify Before C… Frederick @ Editorials from Hell’s Leading Daily Newspaper has: POST 1600: WHO IS MONICA […]

  2. # Gonzales Watch - Blawging the U.S. Attorney General » Senate Judiciary Committee Chair: Goodling Concerned About Criminal Charges pingbacked on March 26th, 2007:

    […] « Previous article Lawyer for DOJ Counsel to Gonzales: Client Monica Goodling Will Take the Fifth, Not Testify Before C… Next article […]

  3. # Gonzales Watch - Blawging the U.S. Attorney General » Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Names Potential DOJ Targets in U.S. Attorney Firings Inquiry pingbacked on March 27th, 2007:

    […] employee, DOJ Counsel Monica Goodling, is presently “on an indefinite leave of absence from Gonzales’s office,” lawyered […]

  4. # Gonzales Watch - Blawging the U.S. Attorney General » Senate, House Judiciary Committees Reveal Knowledge of Non-White House E-Mail Between Bush Aide and Gonzales’ Ex-Chief of Staff Sampson pingbacked on March 28th, 2007:

    […] of Director of Public Affairs at the White House, former DOJ Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson, and Monica Goodling, a DOJ Counsel and liason to the White […]

  5. # Gonzales Watch - Blawging the U.S. Attorney General » Senate Judiciary to Gonzales: Since Goodling’s on DOJ Payroll, She Must Testify pingbacked on April 3rd, 2007:

    […] his Counsel and White House Liason, is still on the federal government’s payroll if she refuses to testify under […]

  6. # Gonzales Watch - Blawging the U.S. Attorney General » House Judiciary Committee Democrats Reply to Monica Goodling’s Lawyer pingbacked on April 4th, 2007:

    […] Linda Sanchez sent a reply yesterday (a copy can be seen below) to last week’s hush-hush legal stance by John Dowd, the D.C. white collar criminal defense lawyer representing DOJ Counsel and White […]

  7. # Gonzales Watch - Blawging the U.S. Attorney General » Monica Goodling, Key Aide to Gonzales, Resigns pingbacked on April 7th, 2007:

    […] Committees.  Through her D.C. lawyer John Dowd, a white collar crime specialist, she repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment privilege not to testify, fearing that she might incriminate herself if charges were subsequently […]

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