Opinion ID: 365815
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Comment on Exercise of Constitutional Right

Text: 8 Bryan complains that a federal agent impermissibly commented on her right to remain silent after arrest, when the agent testified at the trial that Bryan consented to talk to the agent on a selective basis. Bryan argues that the district court erred in denying her motion to strike the testimony. 9 In United States v. Haro-Portillo, 531 F.2d 962 (9th Cir. 1976), an arrested suspect voluntarily talked to a federal agent for a time, after which he refused to answer any more questions. We held that the suspect's constitutional right to remain silent was not violated when the agent testified at trial to the substance of their conversation, without commenting further on the defendant's assertion of his right. Id. at 963-64. 10 In the present case, the agent testified, in relevant part: 11 She read the forms that I had read to her; she stated she understood these rights; she did say that, at some point, she would like to talk to an attorney; I told her that she was not in the Continental United States at the time; there was no way that I could provide her with an attorney; she said she understood this, but she still desired to talk to me regarding this on a selective basis. 12 The witness in this case did no more than did the witness in Haro-Portillo. Bryan's rights were not violated.