Question about instances where someone accuses a high-profile person of a long ago sexual assault:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. Don't get me wrong. People do lie under oath all the time.

However, I am thinking that if you consider any sort of false statement, and then compare the chances it is made under oath and penalty of perjury versus it being made without any sort of penalty, it is far more likely to occur in the latter circumstance than the former circumstance. So penalizing perjury doesn't stop people from lying under oath, but in all likelihood it highly reduces such things from happening.

It's like laws against murder.

Murder happens all the time. But there would certainly be more unjustified killing of people if there were no laws against murder at all.

And one's behavior and demeanor while testifying under oath is frequently far more telling than in an open situation. So it helps to have that for consideration of weighing credibility. That's what helped with Christine Blasey Ford, who I didn't make any judgments on her credibility positive or negative until I saw her testify.