Sometimes it's best to just shut up. Even the smartest makes mistakes. What more for someone like Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Barisan Nasional’s strategic communications director certainly messed up, yet again, by inadvertently admitting that the Malaysian Official 1 is indeed his boss and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Like I said, one shouldn’t try too hard at apple-polishing.

But Rahman must be told, in no uncertain terms, that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) did not name Najib because he doesn’t have any properties in America bought using money stolen from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign fund.

The DOJ has named Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz, the financier who helped set-up 1MDB, Jho Low, and Khadem Al Qubaisi, former managing director of Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co.

The US government is seeking to recover more than one billion dollars worth of assets bought by these three people, using money stolen from the state development fund.

So dear Rahman should know that the US action is focused on charging the people who abused their financial system for money laundering.

And contrary to Rahman’s belief, the US need not consult 1MDB before bringing on the charges. The only thing they needed was an attorney-general who did her job without fear or favour.

Rahman’s adamant stand that Najib isn’t involved in the investigation is shaky at best.

Some of the allegations against the Malaysian Official 1 were the same as those in a Malaysian investigation into US$681 million transferred to Najib’s personal bank account.

The lawsuits say the money, from a 2013 bond sale by 1MDB, was transferred to the account of ‘Malaysian Official 1'.

Reading comments by ruling politicians about the DOJ suit has been amusing. It was also very telling that they were desperate to find a plausible explanation by saying the ‘donation’ into Najib’s account came from various Umno sources, slamming the Justice Department for a fundamentally flawed action to a conspiracy theory revolving around the US attempting to take down the Malays, who would become a force to be reckoned with under the leadership of the prime minister.

But no amount of jumping on the bandwagon to come to the aid of Najib is going to fool Malaysians for the facts are there for everyone to see.

CHARLES SANTIAGO is Member of Parliament, Klang.