Sometimes conscience, values, and peace of mind can solve an ethical dilemma, even at the high levels of government.
Any other conflicted members of the Trump Administration might well benefit by pondering the courage of Jerry terhorst and Cyrus Vance.
Each served in high government places — terHorst as press secretary under President Gerald Ford, Cyrus Vance as secretary of state under President Jimmy Carter. And each resigned because of heartfelt disagreement with a presidential decision far less egregious than any of the dozens of current lies and policies of President Trump.
Briefly, here are their stories, quite relevant today:
Jerry terHorst –
Wikipedia 🙂 “[His] stint as press secretary lasted only a month … He resigned in protest in the wake of President Ford’s announcement that he would pardon former President Richard Nixon [emphasis added] for any possible crimes connected with the Watergate scandal …
[Many years later, ” terHorst said, ‘I would still say I am exactly where I was 25 years ago, that it set up a double standard of justice’ in which Nixon was granted highly favorable treatment in comparison to his co-conspirators or the men who had evade the Vietnam War draft.”
Cyrus Vance –
(Washington Post, April 29, 1980, “The Vance Resignation”:) “[In] Cyrus Vance’s resignation as secretary of state, he evidently came to feel that force should be used only in the most dire circumstance and that an official out of sympathy with a major policy should resign no matter the cost to his chief …
“The administration was moving toward a position on force he apparently could not stomach; he specifically disapproved of the [failed hostage rescue] mission.”
P.S. Breaking –
It has come to this: Government agents (listening?) interrupt James Schwab #ICE #whistleblower #CBSinterview