A Crisis of Integrity

Headlining yesterday's news stories was the seemingly abrupt firing of James Comey as the Director of the FBI.  Immediately sides were drawn as to the propriety of his firing.  Some proclaimed that Mr. Comey was fired because the investigation into whether the Russians had colluded with the Trump Campaign to influence last year's elections was getting rather close for comfort.  Immediately that group issued a call for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate.  Other reporters speculated that this firing was long in the pipeline and simply awaited the time when President Trump had those of his choosing heading up the Department of Justice.  When Rod Rosenstein was confirmed as the Deputy Attorney General two weeks ago, the door was now open for the firing of Comey. 


I listened to some of the talk programs last night.  The conversations were very energetic and interesting, to say the least.  But, as I listened to those who supported the firing and those who strongly opposed it, one word kept coming into my mind that I believe is key.  That word is integrity.  One of the dictionary definitions of integrity is "honesty, sincerity."  Interestingly, the word integrity comes from the Latin word "integer" which means "whole." 


FBI Director Comey has not been immune to being the subject of headlines.  Those headlines began on July 5, 2016, when, after an investigation into the email server scandal that plagued the Clinton Campaign, he went on national television and said that, although what Clinton had done was "extremely careless", there were no grounds for prosecution.  The investigation was perceived to have stopped.  Then, on October 28, just days before the November election, Comey related, via a letter to Congress, that he was reopening the email-server investigation based on new evidence.  That announcement sent shock waves, as you will remember, throughout the country.  The timing of the release of this information seemed more than coincidence and Comey was accused of aiding the Trump Campaign. 


In recent weeks, Comey has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the investigation into a possible collusion between Trump campaign advisors and the Russians has been on-going but that no evidence of such collusion has occurred.  But, I believe the straw that finally broke the back of Mr. Comey came just moments before his firing yesterday.  Comey had sent a letter yesterday to Congress back-pedaling from some of his prior sworn testimony regarding the emails send from Hillary Clinton to her long-time advisor, Huma Abedin.  His testimony changed from "hundreds of thousands of emails" to "a small number."  And that produced this crisis of integrity for Mr. Comey.


From what I understand the role of the FBI is that of the investigative arm of the Department of Justice.  They seek to produce either the evidence or the lack of evidence for a particular case on behalf of the DOJ.  But, it is not the role of the FBI to determine whether a case should be prosecuted or not.  That belongs to the Attorney General and his staff.  So, back in July, Mr. Comey assumed a role that was not his.  The determination to prosecute Mrs. Clinton belonged to Attorney General Lynch.  Yes, she had compromised herself with her secret meeting with Bill Clinton at an airport tarmac in Arizona, but, nonetheless, it was her department that was responsible for making the decision, not the FBI Director's.  So, Mr. Comey had overstepped the parameters of his office - although I am sure he thought he was justified in doing so.


Did Mr. Comey's letter to Congress on October 28 sway the electorate away from Mrs. Clinton?  Only the historians will wrestle with that one.  But it was not for Mr. Comey to make that decision.  His role is that of an advisor to the Attorney General.  He speaks at the wishes of the Attorney General.  Another instance of a crisis of integrity.


What is the "take away" from the fall of James Comey?  It is imperative that we guard our integrity for upon its collapse, great is the fall.  The Bible reminds us that our "yes" is to be "yes" and our "no" is to be "no."  That is a sign of integrity.  We are to be people of our word.  Our youngest daughter reminded me of that fact more than once as she was growing up.  I would often make a rash promise which, when I said it, I had no intentions of keeping, but I said it nonetheless.  Later she would challenge me on that promise with these words, "But, Daddy, you promised!"  That was my crisis of integrity.  I had two options at that moment: I could sit down with my daughter and explain to her why Daddy could not fulfill what he had said he would do - which, often did not go well in her eyes; or I could tell her that Daddy would try his best to fulfill that promise he had made. 


I have been studying the life of David preparing for a summer series on his life as part of the longer series of preaching through the Bible.  David was a man of integrity.  This is best seen in those two occasions when he spared the life of Saul.  On each occasion he proclaimed that he would not raise his hand to strike the Lord's anointed.  That is a mark of integrity. 


My Grandfather was a man of integrity.  He always did business with a mere handshake.  After his funeral, I had one of the leaders of the community in which my Grandparents had lived for decades come to me and say, "I just want you to know that your Grandfather was always a man of his word.  A handshake with Hans Wunder was as good as a name on a dotted line."  What a sterling reputation!


Friends, integrity is the key in our walk with the Lord.  How we live defines who we are.  The words we say, Jesus proclaims, gives evidence of what is in our hearts.  The old saying that actions often speak louder than words is usually true.  When we lose our integrity, it does not take long for the rest of our lives to collapse.  Just ask Mr. Comey.