It comes under the general heading of "Awful But Lawful".
With some notable exceptions, eg: defamation. See: Alex Jones Gets His Ass Hammered By Sandy Hook Parents.
Anyway, a politician can lie with near-total impunity when he's bloviating for the benefit of his public image in the public square.
We all know how that goes:
- He didn't lie
- But if he did, it was no big deal
- But if it was, he didn't mean it
- But if he did, it was for a good reason
- But if it wasn't, I don't care - he's my guy
But you try that under oath in front of a jury, and you're going head-first-ankle-deep into the shit.
So the distance between lying in the media and lying in court is part of what I call "smarmspace".
On occasions like this, politicians like Lindsey Graham have to fight hard to stay in smarmspace. If Graham is compelled to leave smarmspace, he's faced with the real possibility of getting driven out of office because some of his hardcore big-money supporters - and even some of the more braindead zombie rubes - will turn against him.
There's also an equally real possibility of bouncing his ass into a prison cell if he's not careful.
Glenn Kirschner - Justice Matters
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