Is this true? Petraeus not sworn in before testifying?

[Bake]

Did our Dem committee chairs allow Petraeus to "testify" without swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Was some deal struck in advance to allow him to appear without being sworn?

Please tell me I'm wrong. Because if this is true, the whole thing was an even bigger farce than it already obviously was, and some Dems need to answer for that.

Bake

[AndyA]

1. I remember reading that in the "live" thread here at DU yesterday.

I couldn't really follow, but that's my understanding. I hope I'm wrong, but I fear I'm not. :(

[Raven]

I don't think they were and they were not yesterday either. If they

were sworn in this morning, I didn't hear it. But, why worry? People in the Bush administration never lie.

[polichick]

2. Bush probably wouldn't let him testify under oath...

...and he always gets his way, ya know.

[madokie]

3. I think that lying to congress is a felony in itself

I remember reading that here somewhere

[CJCRANE]

4. Sworn in? That's so pre-9/11 n/t

[OwnedByFerrets]

5. NO, Ray McGovern yelled yesterday during the

microphone fiasco "SWEAR HIM IN" and was escorted out of the proceedings for wanting such a preposturous thing to happen.

[Karenina]

7. Link to that...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1784128

[Mandate My Ass]

6. You are not wrong. What you're watching is theater

and not very entertaining theater at that.

[Benhurst]

8. You wouldn't want one of our rulers to be treated like a common citizen, would you?

[never_get_over_it]

9. Just called Biden's office

was transferred to the Foreign Relations Committee where the guy told me he was busy doing something else and didn't watch the beginning and wasn't sure - think he started to direct me to CSPAN when I told him I had watched the beginning and didn't see them being sworn - and I don't believe they were sworn in yesterday either. And I said if they are telling the truth why would they have ANY OBJECTION to being sworn and would you please pass it on that anyone who testifies SHOULD BE SWORN IN...

Probably not a bad idea to start dialing.....they should hear that this is RIDICULOUS and WE ARE WATCHING....

on edit I'm going to call Reid's and Pelosi's too and tell them to make the chairs of the committees swear these people in....

[sailor65]

10. There is a reason

General Petraeus' "Testimony" is not being given in the context of an punitive investigation. His testimony is a report on his findings. If he were testifying as part of an investigation into a charge, then it would have been appropriate to swear him in. In this context, it was not procedurally appropriate.

For the same reason it's not appropriate to swear in Joe Biden when he comes back from Iraq and gives a report.

Whether you agree with the report or not, tht's just a pocedural issue. Those in the back screaming "Swear him in" were asking for a change in procedure that isn't going to happen.

[Bake]

13. Petraeus himself referred to it as his "testimony."

As a lawyer, I tend to think of testimony as "sworn testimony." If it's not sworn, it's not testimony - just a statement.

I thought anyone who testified (i.e., gave testimony) before Congress was sworn in, whether it was investigative or otherwise. That must have been back in the old days, pre-9/11.

I'm not suggesting you're wrong; you're probably correct. Still, what a travesty.

Bake

[HughMoran]

11. Does it really matter?

It's all speculative crap anyway, nothing would be worthy of perjury IMHO.

He is lying by avoidance of the facts and we all know it anyway...

[goodhue]

12. It is true