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Comment by Animats | Hacker News Reader

There have been only six successful prosecutions for lying to Congress in the 60 years up to 2006.[1] One from the Red Scare, two from Watergate, two federal employees who lied about dealings with suppliers, and one involving the CEO of an insurer who filed false financial statements. Congress can do this if it wants to, but seldom bothers.

[1] https://www.qu.edu/prebuilt/pdf/SchoolLaw/LawReviewLibrary/2...

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Don't lie to Congress.

That said, I'm not too torn up about the lack of prosecution. Congressional hearings are just a circus when they involve highly political issues. Most of the time, the "questioning" is editorialization, and Congress-critters use hearings as an opportunity to generate soundbites and score political points. Nobody is interested in the truth. I don't see any reason to dignify such hearings by treating them like court proceedings.

Can we stop using the term “Congress-critters” in serious discussion? It’s a distraction which cheapens whatever point you were otherwise making.

It's my way of protesting the lack of a gender-neutral way of referring to a group of Senators and Representatives.

Congresspeople?

https://www.google.com/search?q=congresspeople&ie=utf-8&oe=u...

Congresspeople? Members of congress? Persons what are elected to work in that big domey building?

Members of Congress, or MC [1]. The UK (and other parliamentary governmental) analogue is MP -- Member of Parliament. The term fell out of favor in the US, but nonetheless exists.

[1] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mc

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