Watergate figure Colson near death

Chuck Colson, a key figure in the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon in 1974, is near death, according to the CEO of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

In a Wednesday statement, CEO Jim Liske said Colson’s “condition took a decided turn yesterday, and the doctors advised Patty and the family to gather by his bedside.”

Colson, who founded Prison Fellowship Ministries, “underwent surgery more than two weeks ago to remove a pool of clotted blood on the surface of his brain,” Liske said in the statement. While there had been “some hopeful signs for Chuck’s recovery—including his ability to talk happily with Patty and the kids—it seems that God may be calling him home.

Added Liske: “I cannot tell you how much your prayers, cards, and well-wishes have meant to Patty and the family—and to Chuck. He loves you all deeply, and I know that his greatest desire beyond seeing Jesus is that the work he and all of us have been called to will continue. As Chuck would say, ‘Remain at your posts and do your duty—for the glory of God and His kingdom’”

From 1969 until 1973, Colson served as Nixon’s special counselor and earned the reputation as the president’s “hatchet man.”