Blind to Dishonor

The word sleaze has been an unfortunate choice of terms to describe the behavior of too many members of the Reagan Administration over the years. The distillation of so many improprieties into one catchy word trivializes what has been a pervasive disdain for basic ethical standards and common sense on the part of men and women in high offices of public trust. This is true even without consideration for proven and possible violations of the law.

By conscious design or neglect, members of the Administration have closed their eyes or winked at legal requirements for the disclosure of financial holdings and sources of conflict of interest. Too often they have acted as if the laws and regulations were drafted for someone else. On occasion they have lied to Congress, or neglected to inform Congress about the conduct of their offices, as if the affairs of the nation were none of the public’s business.

And, once leaving office, some of the most trusted of White House advisers have taken advantage of their former positions for personal gain in violation of the spirit of the law if not always the letter of the law. They have used and abused their friendships with former colleagues who have remained in public service by imposing on them for audiences with private clients seeking favors from the government. This is a new law, but it is aimed at an old practice that used to be called corruption.

Above it all has floated a Chief Executive who hears no evil and sees no evil, who puts old friendships and loyalties above the interests of the American people, and who has set the most curious ethical standards for holding positions of public trust. If there is no indictment, no wrong has been done. If in his own judgment he does not believe that a crime has been committed, there is no cause for dismissal or condemnation. If others with a keener sense of public duty protest, then the protesters are accused of maliciously trying to hound a loyal servant from office.

The President’s stubborn loyalty to his friends is viewed as one of the qualities that makes Ronald Reagan so likable. But it belies a failure of judgment when that loyalty blinds him to official conduct that violates the basic ethical standards of office contained in presidential orders that have been in force for more than two decades.

The tradition of America is that public service is a duty and an honor. No indictment was needed to demonstrate that duty had been failed and no proof of crime to recognize that honor had been violated.