A lying suspect [under interrogation] will speak in fragmented or incomplete sentences such as "It's important that..." He also may feign a memory failure when confronted with a probing question or in responding to a direct accusation of lying. The person will respond with a half-lie, such as "I don't remember," "As far as I know," or "I don't recall;" or, the person my try to bolster his answer with such phrases as "To be perfectly honest with you," or "To be quite frank." [Politicians, professional and prolific liars, frequently preference their lies with "quite frankly."]
The more sophisticated liars may use the same type of evasions, but they usually plan beforehand so that their answers include a protective verbal coating, such as: "At this point in time," If I recall correctly," "It is my understanding," " If my memory serves me right," or "I may be mistaken but..." By using these tactics, lying suspects seek to establish an "escape hatch" rather than risk telling an outright lie.
Fred E. Inbau, Criminal Interrogation and Confessions, 1986
The more sophisticated liars may use the same type of evasions, but they usually plan beforehand so that their answers include a protective verbal coating, such as: "At this point in time," If I recall correctly," "It is my understanding," " If my memory serves me right," or "I may be mistaken but..." By using these tactics, lying suspects seek to establish an "escape hatch" rather than risk telling an outright lie.
Fred E. Inbau, Criminal Interrogation and Confessions, 1986
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