Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White won’t give up in his effort to win immunity before he testifies to the state Recount Commission in a proceeding meant to find out if he committed voter fraud.
White is scheduled to testify next week, but he’s worried that what he says will be used against him in a criminal case. That’s why he is now pursuing a third attempt to win immunity for what he says.
When White’s attorney asked the state Recount Commission to grant White limited immunity, what’s known as use immunity, for his testimony scheduled for next Tuesday, he got a confused response from Recount Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler: “But I have never seen anybody other than a prosecutor give use immunity.”
And then, based on advice from the attorney general’s office, that confusion turned into an outright rejection. The commission voted unanimously to reject the motion requesting immunity.
That led White’s attorney to send a letter to Special Prosecutor Dan Sigler, one of two men who led a grand jury to indict White on six felony counts. The letter was another request for immunity. And, again, it produced a rejection.
That didn’t stop White. His attorney then filed a motion with Marion County Judge Louis Rosenberg, who is overseeing the Recount Commission proceeding. Again, he asked for immunity. Rosenberg agreed to hold a hearing on Monday morning.
On this week’s Indiana Week in Review there was consensus that White’s legal maneuvers will be futile. When it was pointed out to Republican Mike McDaniel that White is trying awfully hard not to answer questions, McDaniel said: “Yeah, he is, and that’s troublesome in its own right.”
Democrat Ann DeLaney said: “The facts are there, and the facts speak for themselves. He’s going to be convicted of this.”
But even if he is, Charlie White will go down fighting.
If, in fact, Rosenberg denies Charlie White’s plea for immunity on Monday, White may do nothing more than plead the Fifth Amendment come Tuesday.
Full Article: Judge to consider White’s request for immunity for testimony.