Read the following case and answer

A. Do you think Torricelli was justified in disclosing this confidential information? Why or why not?

B. Would Torricelli have been right to allow the CIA to conceal criminal activity? Why or why not?

In the early 1990s, two murders in the jungles of Guatemala caught the attention of the public. One victim was an American innkeeper, the other a Guatemalan rebel leader. The faraway murders burst onto the media scene when evidence of U.S. involvement began to surface. The widows of the victims tried desperately to obtain information from the White House, but their efforts were conducted in vain until Rep. Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) stepped into the fray. Torricelli, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, suddenly went public with some disturbing classified informationthe Guatemalan military officials responsible for the deaths were linked to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the agency had withheld information about the murders from the president. While the public was outraged at these allegations of a CIA cover-up, Torricelli's colleagues were furious that he had disclosed information he had obtained as a member of the Intelligence Committee. Despite attacks from both Democrats and Republicans, Torricelli stood firmly by his decision, declaring, "No oath imposed by the leadership can ask a member of Congress to conceal criminal activity" (quoted in Tolchin & Tolchin, 2001, 105).

Torricelli felt the endspeace for the widowsjustified the meansexposing the CIA. He weighed his loyalty to Congress against his personal, micro-level commitment to a higher ordera moral obligation to shed light on appalling CIA meso-level ethics permissive of such practices. His position on the issue matched prevailing public opinion. Had he not taken on the problemand relentlessly pursued answersit is unlikely that the resultant reform of congressional oversight of the CIA would have occurred through normal committee hearings or inquiries. Torricelli was guided by his character and by his perception of his role as a policymaker at the micro level. The next section examines these two influencescharacter and roleson elected officials.