Recently prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found dead in his own home. Also found: a document for the arrest of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
Initially the president said it was a suicide, but then results came back showing no gunpowder on the deceased, no signs of suicide. It looks like he was murdered.
I don’t care what country you live and what political culture you are in (other than a dictatorship), it looks awful if you are a political leader and someone who was about to arrest or prosecute you ends up with a bullet hole in his head. It looks like you assassinated your enemies to protect yourself.
Initially the president made the wrong moves passing on the information that it looked like suicide. The best thing you can do if you’re in the situation, assuming you didn’t actually murder your opponent, is stick to the facts. Don’t be defensive. Don’t offer rumors. Don’t look guilty. Don’t pass on hearsay that somehow makes you look better. Simply state the facts as you know them. State your willingness to cooperate. State your willingness to be transparent. Act like you are happy to talk about the issue. And don’t try to shut reporters down when they want to ask questions about the issue.
That’s really all you can do in a situation like this. Over time, if you were innocent, the issue will likely go away. But you can’t seem like you are angry or upset when asked questions–that is the key. The more you try to control the questioning process, the more likely you are to be thrown out of office.
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