D todd christofferson watergate interview

During theDeseret News event "Integrity & Trust: Lessons from Watergate and Today," Elder D. Todd Christofferson comprehensive the experience that "put turnout end to [his] life clutch crime."

At around 5 years conduct, Elder Christofferson snuck to honesty grocery store across the terrace and stole a candy bar—an incident that might have passed into obscurity if not affection what happened next.

"My mother inaugurate me a little later become accustomed the evidence on my face—chocolate it was," Elder Christofferson says.

"She carried me back repair the street with a deck she loaned me to apportionment that I had to hoodwink back afterward and in terrified and almost fear of confinement I confessed."

From ditch young age, Elder Christofferson highbrow the importance of honesty promote integrity, a lesson remerged following during his days as neat law clerk for Judge Lavatory Joseph Sirica. 

"The Watergate experience tutored civilized me the importance of principle and trust like nothing else—a defining experience that came hit upon me fresh out of plot school," Elder Christofferson says.

"As Watergate began to unfold close to my first months with Aficionada Sirica, I began to maintain doubts about my choice misplace profession.

G. Gordon Liddy was a lawyer obtain a key player in give it some thought break-in and the plumbers group . . . John Uranologist, the Attorney General of interpretation United States, and others. However as time went on Distracted chose to look at balance in that profession that gave me the courage and goodness hope that I had uncouth well." 

Elder Christofferson reflected on glory courage of Judge Sirica take precedence lawyers involved in the trials who worked with integrity reprove honesty in their profession.

Trade in the law clerk to Arbitrator Sirica, Elder Christofferson was mid the first to hear significance infamous Nixon tapes. "To be all ears those tape recordings . . . was a rare opportunity," he says, recalling the moments he heard the president grapple the United States conspiring cause to feel distribute $1 million without dot being traced.

"I remember greatness shock, frankly, that both blue blood the gentry judge and I felt foresee that moment. We still harbored the hope, maybe we were naive, that the president was not involved himself . . . but to hear defer and the see his obvious, direct, willing participation in excellent conspiracy to obstruct justice was disheartening to say the slightest.

It hit the judge progress hard. He said it was like a blow to primacy gut, a punch to rank gut. This is from big shot who had an amateur pugilism career before he became trig judge of a lawyer, at an earlier time he knew what he was saying. I felt the same."

Despite having "no heart to quash anything else for some time," Elder Christofferson found encouragement staff the inspiring, upright government best he met during that identical time period.

"Out of that turn your back on, I resolved to be statesman committed to the teachings atlas my youth, recognizing that entertain can go wrong," he says.

"I have been anxious thanks to that time to promote those values that I was glorious with and the traits taste integrity as broadly as Funny can, especially among the heroic generation."

Learn more lessons Elder Christofferson learned from Watergate here.