[AngryData]

So government officials can lie but citizens must tell the truth all the time? That is insane to me and I don't see how that does anything other than force people into perpetual criminality so that they could be arrested at any time. The average US citizen already commits 3 crimes a day because our justice system is so messed up.

[rootusrootus]

> citizens must tell the truth all the time

That only applies to federal agents, at least. You can lie to local cops all you want. Though in both cases I think just keeping your trap shut is the better option.

[rascul]

> You can lie to local cops all you want.

The legality of that varies.

[rootusrootus]

Yes, in Texas or Washington you can be charged with a misdemeanor for lying to a cop in an investigation. In Georgia, that could be a felony. That's the closest equivalent to the federal statute (also a felony).

But in general, lying to a local cop is significantly less likely to get you in trouble. The risks are so much higher with a federal agent that I'd strongly consider just staying silent rather than risk talking myself into a problem. The feds are fond of using it as their charge of choice when nothing else will stick.

[Ajedi32]

The government can throw people in jail too but if you kidnap someone and lock them in your basement that's a crime. This is no different.