Integrity
I’m sure that many of the people around me will some day work for the government of the United States. Some of them even for the President. Pursuant to article two of the United States Constitution, they will be commissioned by the President. But before hearing this interview from Fresh Air, I didn’t know the wording of those commissions.
Bud Krogh, the interviewee, was one of the “plumbers” who was involved in the break-in on the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. He was one of the few people to go to jail for that episode. He mentions a letter he wrote to Bush White House appointees, reminding him of the responsibilities of their offices. He invokes the opening words of their commissions, which echo the wording of George Washington’s own commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army: “Reposing special trust and confidence in your integrity…”
I hope that my friends will study their commissions carefully and take those words to heart.