fmr Governor Rick Snyder pleads the 5th in Flint Water Civil trial to Avoid Incriminating Himself in His Pending Criminal Case (contrary to media disinformation, no Charges Against Him Were Dropped)

From [HERE] Former Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday again declined to testify in a federal civil lawsuit trial in which four plaintiffs who were younger than 6 during the Flint water crisis are suing engineering firms who contracted with the city at that time. 

Snyder appeared before U.S. District Judge Judith Levy on Thursday in an Ann Arbor courthouse. He invoked his 5th Amendment constitutional right not to answer questions at risk of incriminating oneself. He could incriminate himself in his ongoing criminal case (charged with misdemeanors) or future prosecution.

"Based on advice of counsel I would exercise my Fifth Amendment rights," Snyder said from the witness stand. He left the courtroom with his attorneys after Levy dismissed him. 

The trial is to determine if engineering contractors Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, known as LAN, bear responsibility for lead-contaminated water in Flint. The engineering firms have made it clear in the opening arguments of the trial they plan to pin the blame on state and Flint government officials motivated by "arrogance," "callousness" and "bureaucratic contempt" toward Flint. 

Snyder, former top aide Rick Baird and three other defendants all gave depositions in mid-2020 in which they didn't invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and before unsealed indictments against them were revealed in January 2021. Levy compelled their appearance in court at the trial.

A portion of the video of Snyder's 2020 deposition was shown Thursday to jurors. In it, Snyder said the engineering firms did not raise to his office their concerns about the lack of corrosion controls or other treatment methods for Flint River water. River warning is more acidic than lake water and needs to be treated with chemicals so it won't leach lead from pipes, according to experts. [MORE]