85. Integrity is not responding badly to accusations of wrongdoing
When faced with well-founded accusations, there are various tactics SPs use that fail to show integrity, such as (1) denying them completely, (2) distracting attention, (3) sacrificing others, (4) launching counterattacks, or (5) bringing investigations into disrepute. Stumbling blocks for responding with integrity are (1) loss of control over one’s own emotions, (2) exacerbating the problem, (3) narrowing the problem down to a legal question, and (4) first confessing to the accusations but later withdrawing the confession.
There are various cunning techniques for dealing effectively with well-founded accusations. The first is denial. Napoleon Bonaparte stated, “In politics… never retreat, never retract… never admit a mistake.”475 According to common advice, even if they have done wrong, it is best for SPs not to admit anything, firmly to deny it, and to act as if they were innocence itself. Admitting wrongdoing and mistakes, after all, means losing their job. SPs also have the right not to cooperate in their own condemnation and fall, or not to play into the hands of opponents. For example when Hungarian president Pál Schmitt was accused of plagiarism in his PhD thesis, he obstinately denied it, but later lost his job when an investigation upheld the accusation.476
Besides completely denying accusations, SPs can also distract attention, the so-called “wag- the-dog” technique, by setting something else in motion, for example spreading more serious accusations about others, bringing a different situation to crisis point, or revealing very positive news on another topic.
A third cunning tactic is to sacrifice someone else in order to remain out of the picture. The trick here is to select as innocent a scapegoat as possible.477 This makes it so unthinkable that it becomes plausible. Sacrificing others is particularly opportune if it is clear that there has been a misdemeanor but unclear who the culprit is.
A fourth cunning tactic is to launch a counterattack. For example, when a party leader threatened to expel a congressman from the party if his reprehensible behavior damaged the party too much, the congressman went on the offensive, expressing careful criticism of the lack of democratic leadership from the party leader in an interview. This meant the party leader could no longer expel him, because the media would conclude that he tyrannically eliminated opponents.478 Making things personal can also be effective if it causes opponents to lose self- control, letting themselves go, thereby creating an image of impotence. Integrity can also be used as a concept for launching a counterattack. For example it is possible to cast doubt on the integrity of accusers, for instance by pointing to their impure motives or more serious forms of inappropriate behavior. The weaker the integrity of the accuser, the less seriously the accusation is taken. Prime Minister Janša, for example, claimed that charges against him were politically motivated and that he would appeal.479 One can also damage the integrity of the accusation, for example by showing that there have been contradictory statements, conflicting reports or missing facts, and inconsistencies between findings, interpretations, and conclusions.
A fifth cunning tactic is to help with the investigation into the accusations but to withhold information. When the results of the investigation are revealed, you or others reveal the withheld information, discrediting the investigation and the investigators. After all, this creates the image that the investigation has been incomplete, the investigators are incompetent, and the results are therefore incorrect and unusable.
These tactics do not show integrity. Moreover, they add to the number of transgressions committed, risking greater reputational damage if discovered. Discovery is likely because the tactics are so transparent. Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi thought that he could deflect accusations of bribery by proposing that parliament sharpen the laws against corruption. “Those who commit crimes cannot stay in any political party,” said Berlusconi. He labeled fraud by politicians as “simply the behavior of scoundrels”.480 This attempt at