Since when does opinion trump accountability?

Now that his former chief of staff has testified before Congress as to his spotty memory, Gonzales is in deep poop. He is really showing his mettle, however; here is his quote from Friday regarding the testimony:

 

“I believe in truth and accountability, and every step that I’ve taken is consistent with that principle. At the end of the day, I know what I did. And I know that the motivations for the decisions that I made were not based upon improper reasons” (npr.org).

 

Interesting. I was not aware that our legal system takes mens rea so seriously. That is, I didn’t realize that an individual—let alone a public servant, let alone one in such a high position, let alone the top lawyer in the country—can respond to calls for accountability and/or transparency with, “Trust me. I know I didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

-W.