Respuesta :
'I plead the fifth' is a term used for citing the right to decline a question if their own answers might incriminate or enmesh themselves into a bad situation. This is generally used to be free of any penalties rather than taking the risks of answering a question you might not want to expose. Someone might say this statement if they do not want to reply to a question that will make them come off as bad or petty.
The 5th ammendment in the constitution gives every American the right to refuse to answer questions or testify against themselves if the answer may incriminate them. The 5th ammendment protects people from having to testify in court on their own behalf. However once a person agrees th testify on their behalf they have to answer the questions during cross examination.