Fannie Mae-No Politics (FNMA)

[rekcusdo]

"to make witnesses defensive and reluctant to say anything and just take the fifth."

That would be fantastic! The fifth applies to any testimony that might lead to criminal charges. In a criminal case, there can not be repercussions for taking the fifth, but in a CIVIL case (such as this one), the plaintiffs can actually use a party taking the fifth against the defense.

McCarthy v. Arndstein (1924)
Baxter v. Palmigiano (1976)