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Richard Harris: Pleading the Fifth

Filed under: The Squib Report Tagged: Annals of Law, politics, Richard Harris

You know things are getting interesting when top Department of Justice officials plead the Fifth, as Monica Goodling did Monday. It doesn't seem clear at all that she actually can do this, since "avoiding perjury charges" is not a valid justification for using the Fifth.

My, this stuff is complicated. If only there were some magazine around that could do an exhaustive three-part article on the Fifth Amendment!

Naturally, Richard Harris (not, I expect, the actor) did precisely that for The New Yorker in April of 1976. You can tell that it's written in a different era, though, because at that time, the FBI's most pressing task was infiltrating nests of lesbians.

No, I'm not kidding.

—Martin Schneider

3 comments

Comments

Excellent use of the word "My."

zpMarch 28, 2007

What is so interesting about the current cover
is that this is the second time in the magazine's
history that they have shown people of colour
in the drawing. Otherwise it is not a great cover.

BruceMarch 29, 2007

that richard harris from the new yorker---still kicking around? thanks very much for the reply

w earleySeptember 21, 2007

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Emdashes, founded December 2004, is a place where keen and dedicated readers of The New Yorker, past and present, can find related news and commentary: about people, subjects, and ideas within the magazine, and events and conversations outside its pages. Learn more about us and our contributors.

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A few clips

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Review: Does The New Republic's recent redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
Proposal: A more attractive MetroCard (for A Brief Message)
Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
Report: Eustace Tilley spruces up for The New Yorker's website redesign (for Print)
Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands (for Print)
Review: books about various New Yorker cartoonists by Liza Donnelly and Iain Topliss (for Newsday)
Profile: screenwriter and novelist Joe Keenan (for Newsday)
Review: The Complete New Yorker (for Print)

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They say that dashes “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like em dashes—emphasizes what’s between: in particular, between the lines, covers, and issues of a magazine close to my heart.

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