Privacy and the Obligations of Leaders

One of my high school memories I have never been able to forget despite my best efforts to do so involved my Sophomore Geometry Class some 54 years ago! To say that I was challenged in that class would be a complete understatement. On a good day, I could do 2+2=4 but Geometry was not my thing.!  Whenever I was called on to recite, my answer was usually incorrect. The teacher always had a smirk and a classic response for my incorrect answers that I will never forget: “Well some got to As and some got to get Fs!” Thankfully, I never received an F in the class, but I was very thankful when I received a gentlemen’s C! 

This story about As and Fs in Geometry reminds me of two different responses by elected leaders and their staffs and families to recent medical episodes. One response was clearly an A, and one was clearly an F.

The first story involves the late Senator Lindsey Grahm of South Carolina. On Saturday July 11, Senator Grahm tragically passed away suddenly at his Washington, DC residence. Details quickly emerged that Senator Graham called one of his staffers and explained that he was having chest pains and the staffer immediately called 911 for assistance. Unfortunately, the EMS team was unable to restart Senator Graham’s heart, and he was pronounced dead later that evening at a local Washington, DC hospital. By Monday Senator Grahm’s office announced the results of an autopsy which revealed that Senator Graham died because of an aortic dissection. The candor, transparency, and prompt response of Senator Graham’s staff and family was commendable. They not only informed an interested public, but they also cut short what would surely have been a frenzy of social media posts by conspiracy theorists seeking their 15 minutes of fame! Give Senator Graham’s staff and family an A grade for how they communicated relevant details regarding the tragic and heartbreaking death of Senator Graham.

The second story involves Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. On Sunday June 14, Senator McConnell was taken by EMS from his Washington DC residence to a local Washington DC hospital. For the next several weeks Senator McConnell’s staff shared with the public only the bare details that the Senator was grateful for the excellent car he was receiving. No further details were provided on his medical condition. It did not take long for rumor mongers and conspiracy theorists to go to work on social media. There were frequent posts that Senator McConnell was in cardiac arrest when EMS arrived, and he received immediate CPR. There were other posts stating that he would never be physically able to return to work in the U.S. Senate. Not only did social media conspiracy theorists have a field day with the radio silence from Senator McConnell’s staff and family, Kentucky Governor and 2028 Democratic Presidential aspirant Andy Beshear joined the chorus as the “guardian” of the public interest. The Governor made frequent demands from Senator McConnell’s staff and family for details on the Senator’s medical condition and lamented their lack of a substantive response on social media.

Sadly, only after Senator Graham’s passing did Senator McConnell and his wife Elaine reveal more relevant details about his medial condition which they said involved only a fall at his residence and later pneumonia while he was hospitalized. There was no information regarding when Senator McConnell might be released from the hospital or when he might be able to personally return to the U.S. Senate and resume his duties. Once again, social media sprang to life with reports that the picture of Senator and his wife in the Senator’s hospital room was not authentic, but AI produced. And of course, not to be outdone, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear shared on social media that he received reliable information from agencies that Senator McConnell “passed” on June 14 and was brought back to life by EMS personnel. The Governor continues to have a field day with social media postings in light of the poor handling of Senator McConnell’s medical condition by his family and staff! While I join all of Senator McConnell’s constituents in wishing him a speedy recovery and return to the U.S. Senate, I must say that his staff and family’s handling of his medical episode surely deserves a grade of F.

Over the years, I have known several CEOs, Preachers, and Politicians. And with a couple of notable and commendable exceptions, they all were highly allergic to communicating “hard truths” of disappointing news to their constituents even if there were no legal, contractual, or ethical constrains which would prevent doing so. In my professional work as a Corporate Attorney in the health care field, privacy and confidentiality were always paramount legal considerations. But with that said, I made it a point of emphasis to always counsel my business partners that, within the bounds of legal, contractual, and ethical requirements, it was very important to practice transparency and candor in sharing truthful and accurate information. It was my concern that the failure to do so would result in someone else filling the void with what would most surely be inaccurate and misleading information.

I believe that Jesus’ Disciple Peter and the Apostle Paul had this same concern in mind as reported in Chapter 15 in the New Testament Book of Acts. Briefly stated, a number Jewish Christian leaders in the early Christian Church in Jerusalem believed that recent Gentile converts to Christianity in Antioch (present day southern Turkey) should be required to observe requirements of the Old Testament Law for their salvation in Christ to be complete. Peter and Paul did not agree with this requirement, which was not grounded in Biblical truth. Peter and Paul could have remained silent and not challenged the Jewish Christan leaders on their demands for the new Gentile Christians. But at the risk of serious conflict with other Jewish Christians in the Jerusalem Church, Peter and Paul refused to take the easy way out. They explained Biblical truth to their opponents and then took affirmative steps to visit the new Gentile Christians and make clear to them that they were not required to observe these additional Old Testament legal requirements. Clearly communicating true and accurate information was the right choice 2,000 years ago and remains the right choice today.

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.

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