He had been a close friend of Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York and leading Republican candidate to the US. Presidency. The Mayor had been his mentor during most of Kerik's career promoting him from detective-chauffeur and bodyguard to high positions such as Commissioner of NYC Department of Correction and Police Commissioner. He also recommended him to become Secretary of Homeland Security.

Giuliani's judgment is now questioned. He admits he made a mistake by not "vetting him more closely" before nominating him for the Homeland Security's job.

Friends play a very an important role in our lives. It would be sad to imagine a life without friends.

What should we do if we discover that a friend is or has been involved in activities that we totally disapprove of and that are contrary to our core values? Should we just terminate the friendship?

I think not.

We should first be sure that we have all the correct information about our friend's behavior and circumstances. It is dangerous in ethics, to take action before we are confident that we have all the information we need before making any decision.

Should the information confirm the wrongdoing of our friend, we should then try to use the influence we have to persuade him or her to change behavior and make amends if at all possible. We should try patiently as much as we can and not give up too quickly.

If, however, we do not succeed and our friend will not listen and is persistent in his or her ways, it would then be wise to distance ourselves.

We are accountable to ourselves first and should not allow our generosity to compromise our own integrity.

As William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet:

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."