Eulogy

By Cheryl Mills

I met CHARLES RUFF on the telephone. I called him because an independent counsel was pursuing my dearest friend. He freely lent his counsel for months. He didn't know my friend or me; he helped because I asked. That was Chuck--stranger or friend, if you needed help, he offered all he had. When the President needed a new counsel, he knew Chuck's reputation as a brilliant lawyer who was committed to serving his community. That he quietly helped someone he didn't know, however, told the President everything he needed to know about Chuck's soul.

Chuck inspired all of us to do better. No task was beneath him. During impeachment, he was there with everyone on long nights, working and making wry jokes. He believed in the dignity and humanity of his adversaries. He listened more than he talked. He was true to his clients and our system of justice, never wanting to compromise one for the other. He declined every opportunity to be self-important, slipping silently out of the White House, no fanfare. When those with power came for his clients, he spoke for them; when they came for his colleagues or friends, he stood with them; and when they came for the powerless, he spoke for them too.

--Cheryl Mills, former deputy White House counsel