A false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive is a lie, and there are various ways a person can lie, but the simple fact is a lie is a lie. During the campaign for the presidency that just culminated in Willard Romney’s defeat, Americans witnessed mendacity of epic proportions unseen in recent memory, and questions abounded as to why Romney felt more comfortable lying than breathing. The frequency of his lies gave the impression that his problem was pathological because his falsehoods appeared to be second nature leading some to wonder if it was the result of a lifetime of his religion’s encouragement that “lying for the lord” was both good and acceptable. Besides lying for religious reasons, there is a form of lying in criminal law known as perjury, or forswearing, that is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. Perjury is considered a serious offense as it can be used to usurp the power of the courts resulting in miscarriages of justice, and after investigating Willard Romney’s record while head of Bain Capital, it appears that committing perjury was standard procedure for him and his surrogates.

Now that the election is over and no-one can assert that demanding justice for Romney is politically motivated, it is time for the Department of Justice to thoroughly investigate him, his companies, and his surrogates for committing acts of perjury to usurp the power of the courts and subvert justice. There is a legal term, mens rea, that alludes to a person’s awareness of the fact that their conduct is criminal, and without question, lying under oath, swearing a false oath or affirming to tell the truth in writing is criminal, and in Romney and Bain capital’s surrogate’s case, it was for material gain. This column cited several instances of perjury to confound the courts and benefit Willard Romney’s private equity firm, Bain Capital, and they were ignored as being politically motivated.