Why Did the GOP Leadership Fail to Take Action?
Posted by on October 2, 2006 at 10:49 AM
Despite a cloud of denials, deflections and finger-pointing, it is clear that key members of the Republican House leadership failed to take action to protect students in the Congressional page program, choosing instead to sit on their hands for as much as a year after learning that Republican Congressman Mark Foley had sent inappropriate emails to a minor.
According to reports, Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, House Majority Leader John Boehner and National Republican Congressional Campaign Chairman Tom Reynolds all knew about Foley's emails as early as last year and did nothing.
- Why did Republican Congressional leaders choose not to ask the critical questions about the nature and full extent of Congressman Foley's criminal actions involving minors at the time they first learned about it?
- Why are they only expressing outrage now that the Foley emails have become public?
- Why did they fail to take action to protect our children from an online predator, choosing instead to protect their Republican majority in the House?
It's outragous.
First Hastert Says He Didn't Know About Foley Emails...
The spokesman for Speaker Dennis Hastert, Ron Bonjean, said the top House Republican had not known about the allegations...Hastert said Friday he had asked Shimkus to investigate the page system. "We want to make sure that all our pages are safe and the page system is safe," Hastert said. [Associated Press, 9/30/06]
...Then Boehner Says He Told Hastert in Spring 2006, At Least Until He Changed His Mind.
"House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of inappropriate 'contact' between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he then told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Boehner later contacted The Post and said he could not remember whether he talked to Hastert." [Washington Post, 9/30/06]
...And Reynolds Is Second GOP Leader To Say He Talked to Hastert About it.
"Rodney Alexander brought to my attention the existence of e-mails between Mark Foley and a former page of Mr. Alexander's. Despite the fact that I had not seen the e-mails in question, and Mr. Alexander told me that the parents didn't want the matter pursued, I told the Speaker of the conversation Mr. Alexander had with me." [Statement by Rep. Tom Reynolds, 9/30/06]
Now, Hastert Says "I Don't Remember It, But That Doesn't Mean It Didn't Happen."
"Congressman Tom Reynolds in a statement issued today indicates that many months later, in the spring of 2006, he was approached by Congressman Alexander who mentioned the Foley issue from the previous fall. During a meeting with the Speaker he says he noted the issue which had been raised by Alexander and told the Speaker that an investigation was conducted by the Clerk of the House and Shimkus. While the Speaker does not explicitly recall this conversation, he has no reason to dispute Congressman Reynold's recollection that he reported to him on the problem and its resolution." [Press Release from Speaker Hastert's Office, 9/30/06]
Of Course, Reynolds Has His Own Secrets - Hundreds of Thousands Of Them.
During the summer of 2006, the same period Congressman Reynolds was keeping Mark Foley's inappropriate emails with minors a secret, his campaign committee coffers received a $100,000 donation from Foley. Altogether, Foley was among the committee's largest single contributors, giving the National Republican Congressional Committee $330,000. [AP, 9/30/06; Buffalo News, 10/01/06]
Reynolds Said He Considered the Matter Resolved, But Democrat On The Page Board Says It Was Never Even Investigated.
In a statement, Congressman Reynolds "An investigation was then conducted by the clerk and John Shimkus on behalf of the House Page Board," but Rep. Dalae Kildee—the Democrat on the House Page Board—said the board never investigated Foley: "the Democratic Member of the House Page Board, any statement by Mr. Reynolds or anyone else that the House Page Board ever investigated Mr. Foley is completely untrue, "I was never informed of the allegations about Mr. Foley's inappropriate communications with a House page, and I was never involved in any inquiry into this matter. The first and only meeting of the House Page Board on this matter occurred on Friday, September 29 at approximately 6 p.m., after the allegations about Mr. Foley had become public." [National Journal, 10/01/06]
For more on this developing story:
Comments (51) «
There is a huge list of sexual misconduct by the Republican party that points to a pattern of sexual misconduct with minors. This is NOT the party of family values. Why aren't we doing something with this? I know we need to couch this carefully and the Dems aren't totally clean on this issue, but the list of Republican scandals in this area is 11 times that of Dems.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/2/113814/196
The Bush administration and Republican congress is full of hypocrites, liars, perverts and corruption
it's time to call these people what they are
from the bottom and all the way up to the top, they're all a bunch of crooks
As they have proven to us over and over, Republicans are a bunch of crooks and liars. They are masters of spin and will try to make Democrats somehow responsible Republican misdeads.
Check out my blog to view some of the actual emails that Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fl.) sent to this innocent young boy. Quite disturbing.
http://tfruge1.tblog.com
I heard that the page's name was Abram. And all the email said was that congressman foley wanted to Jack...........I'm not even going to finish this !!!!!
How about "State of Denial" with Bob Woodward on 60 Minutes last night? Great interview by Mike Wallace. Can a link to the interview be posted here?
So now criminal extortion and blackmail has likely become part of the mix? Foley contributed $100,000 to Reynolds and $330,000 to the GOP during the period that they held on to those e-mails without contacting authorities?
I knew there had to be money involved. It's always money with these Republican hypocrites. They didn’t have any problem leaving the kids in their care at risk...as long as the bribery and hush money kept coming in? And most of these men are the fathers of young teens?
What a bunch of degenerates. It's just one more dump onto the GOP dung heap they call the Beltway since Rove/Cheney took over at the reigns on the party. They need to purge the filth and cleanse themselves.
Hassert says he doesn’t recall several House leaders telling him about the e-mails? What else has slipped his mind?
What else is slipping Condi's mind? What else is slipping Scooter's mind. What else is slipping Bush's mind? Cheney is the only one who knows exactly what's going on, but he's keeping it all secret.
The author of this post is right on the money in my opinion. It's both funny and sickening to read your voice of reason and true facts and to listen to "Mr Accountability" Rush Bimbo sit there and mislead his gullible audience. From 12:06pm until 12:30 pm today, Mr Limbaugh enacted the neo-con talk show host's main policy and strategy whenever anything goes wrong from the Iraq War to the Foley case. This strategy has an acronym; ABC Always Blame Clinton!!! What the heck does Clinton have to do with that alleged pervert Foley IM'ing and emailing that young boy?
Gillean
http://macrinismorningnewsteam.blogspot.com/
I have one question?
Who is going to hold them accountable, or is this going to go away and be swept under the RUG?
It sounds like the Republican Party is about to learn the hard lessons of deials and coverups that the Catholic Church has learned. I am sure they will try to cap the damage from Liberal lawyers by defining their fraternity as an Baptists like loose knit organization, not held accountable by the members actions.
Also with all those Conservatives attacking President Clinton in the past so fiercely, with Foley, they will annilate the Republican Party or is there a dual standard of accountability? Afterall look at the position they put him in, as their leader. The Republicans needed to do their homework again, like they did for Iraq.
Howard Dean was right - challenge everywhere.
Support the Democratic Challengers
1. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La, NO Democratic challenger.
2. John Shimkus, R-Illinois's 19th, oversight for the House Page Program.
Democratic challenger, Dan Stover
http://www.stoverforcongress.us/
3. Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio, 8th)
Democratic challenger: Morton Meier
http://www.victimsofjohnboehner.org/
4. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)
Democratic challenger: John Leasch
http://www.john06.com/home
5. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (N.Y. 26th)
Democratic challenger: Jack Davis
http://www.jackdavis.org/new/
Naughty naughty republicans.
OK It is time to take Hastert down and the easiest way is to vote him out of office.
It is time to support John Laesch who is the dem running against Hastert. He has gotten zero support from the national party. DNC DCCC put money in this race!
Do away with the Page System! James
Do away with the Page System! James
Karl Rove says, "It's Right, if it's for the Reich" Oh! I mean Right. So Hastert, must of done it for the Right, to cover up this Federal Child Preditor Republican, so it must be Right. I think there are all more Congressial Republicans, or is it Public-cans in the Foley club, I don't think the other shoe has dropped yet! ABC I think has alot more news on this. You would of never of heard NBC, MSNBC, or CNBC, bring this story to light, because these Fascist pig stations, who are all owned by G.E., The largest military Industrial Corp. in the world, would want to hurt The Fascist Bush Republican Party!I wonder now how that Nazite Karl Rove, will divert the attention of the American people, to blame it all on Bill Clinton and the Democrat Party, Make a big Phoney Terrist Strike! A yellow alert, by the way what color are we in now, Blue? There is a rumor out that When Bush was 7 and his little sister was 3, somehow mysterios Bruises formed all over her body, I wonder how that happened!
As a moderate, shouldn't we be careful about pointing fingers when we have so many similar issues in our increasingly left moving party. Won't this backfire?
I'm not as upset with the gop, as I am with the shift left of this party which has embraced the radical (emphasis on radical) homosexual and man-boy love movement, throughout the country fighting restricitions on legislation that would strengthen law against such behavior. We haven't exactly embraced Megan's law in the states we control. Why? Lets look internally and make sure we don't cry wolf too loud that our own words come back to haunt us days before the election.
WE CAN'T AFFORD ANY MORE PUBLIC-CANS IN CONGRESS! FOR WHEN YOU GET TO MANY PUBLIC-CANS, THEY BEGIN TO STINK! TIME FOR THE DEMOCRATS TO FLUSH THEM OUT!
Do away with the Page System! James.
Do away with the Page System! James.
To err and not reform, this may indeed be called
error. Confucius........Jimmy..
ModerateBeach: Why in the world do you equate pedophilia with homsexuality?!? One is between consenting, tax paying, law abiding citizens. The other violates a child. The Democratic party does not wish to legalize man-boy sex! GEESH--you sound like whacky James Dobson. By the way, most acts of pedophila are between men and young girls!
Disgust is the word that comes to mind. I can remember Dennis Hastert being a sharp investigator, during the late nineties. Of course this was during the "contract with America era. Before the new regime was in power. I HAVE no faith in these men.They only replace one unscrupulous man with another. As we saw with Tom Delay's replacement. Do the repugs have any members who DON'T have a seedy past
Its the Katrina Effect, all over again. Republican Oversight wanes and it's the innocents whom must suffer.
Painfully,
Privately,
In silence.
Because Republicans will never give them voice until they learn their lesson this election season. That means VOTE YOUR REPUBLICAN OUT OF OFFICE if only to change leadership for a temporary time. Or longer, until contrition is proven and they are willing to work With The Entire Congress.
Another example of the "Pro-life" Pro-family" Republican hypocrisy.
This incident should bring home to a lot of the willfully ignorant right wing conservatives, that the Republican party is playing them for suckers.
Oh! Probably not. There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Still it will shake up a lot of people who are already disturbed by the machinations of the Republican party. It should shake them up enough to make up their minds about voting Democrat.
In the meantime, we will watch the Republican party self-destruct into the morass of its own making.
Robin William, who recently put himself back into rehab after seeing how messed up Mel Gibson had gotten, said this recently:
"If you are violating your own standards faster than you can lower them, it's time to go away."
Through a haze of alcholol and drugs, a comedian sees the situation far more clearly than those who are running the country.
Yes this news is very diturbing however,Can any one in congress say with a stright face that they never heard a rumor in regards to foley??I think you all stink in regards to this issue Shame on all of you.
Careful, careful, careful ... watch out that we don't scream too loudly that the gop are hypocrites; lest our words come back and bite us for not cleaning our own house.
Whether its accusing Allen of using the "N" word 20 - 30 years ago, while we stay quiet about Byrd using it on the Senate floor; or foley for his email and IM while excusing frank and clinton (the gop are already making this about Clinton joking that foley only wanted to do with a former page what clinton did do with a current intern). We need to stick to the issues, because the gop will win this battle for one reason ... the public thinks the gop properly takes care or their hypocrites (at least temporarily) Gingrich - gone over an affair; Foley - gone; etc. The public perceives the gop as cleaning their house. This is a gossip and media issue, not a voting booth issue. The voters see the gop as cleaning house and us talking the talk, but not walking the walk. A recent poll showed that more people were upset that chairman Dean doesn't speak out about the pedophilia problem in Vermont(judges and lack of legal protection for children), than they are about Foley's emails. We need to be careful, because we may see short term support, but this may quickly fade to a backlash against the more tolerant views we are pereived by the public to hold. This becomes an issue to be used against us if the Dem candidate is ... oh lets say, pro-condom distribution in high schools, etc.
Lets stick to issues that matter, like quality education, real consumer protection, affordable higher education, then MAYBE we might win.
Heckuva Job Republicans
They put a pedophile in charge of kids,
polluters in charge of the EPA,
oil executives in charge of energy policy,
chickenhawks in charge of our military,
know-nothings in charge of Iraq, and
Snow job in charge of the White House Press Corps.
I think it is horrible that these "fine" men in Washington forget who they work for. I find even better that they can condem abortion yet send our young people to an unjust war to be murdered. Isn't that double standards.
Faux is taking the most innocuous and lest lurid e-mails to show this is all Hastert knew about. …but wait a minute, please go to the ABC website and look at the new published e-mails with more details. These were all given to Hastert and friends.
…and here is a new one,
“New Foley Instant Messages; Had Internet Sex While Awaiting House Vote
October 03, 2006 1:22 PM
Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer Report:
Former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) interrupted a vote on the floor of the House in 2003 to engage in Internet sex with a high school student who had served as a congressional page, according to new Internet instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.”
ABC News now has obtained 52 separate instant message exchanges, which former pages say were sent by Foley, using the screen name Maf54, to two different boys under the age of 18.
This message was dated April 2003, at approximately 7 p.m., according to the message time stamp.
Maf54: I miss you
Teen: ya me too
Maf54: we are still voting
Maf54: you miss me too
The exchange continues in which Foley and the teen both appear to describe having sexual orgasms.
Maf54: ok..i better go vote..did you know you would have this effect on me
Teen: lol I guessed
Teen: ya go vote…I don't want to keep you from doing our job
Maf54: can I have a good kiss goodnight
Teen: :-*
Teen:
And there is more, go visit, http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/new_foley_insta.html
According to some pages they were warned about Foley 5 years ago!!!! Read all about it!!!, on ABC news Shief Investigative Correspondent, Brian Ross Reports.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/republicans_on_.html
"Republicans on Capitol Hill Knew of Foley's Behavior
October 02, 2006 7:15 AM
Brian Ross Reports:
As the FBI begins to investigate, and the Republican leaders on Capitol Hill squirm, ABC News has learned new details of former Congressman Mark Foley's X-rated Internet messages -- all sent while he posed as a crusader against Internet porn.
"I'm Mark Foley from Florida's 16th District. I'm co-chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, and I hope today's bill is a pedophile's worst nightmare and a parent's best hope," Foley (R-FL) once said.
But it was Foley himself who appears to have been a parent's worst nightmare.
Using the screen name Maf54, he tried to lure teens who had been congressional pages into sexual conversations and acts, according to copies of messages obtained by ABC News.
Maf54: i like you a lot.
Teen: im flattered
Maf54: are you
Teen: yes.
Maf54: well I was so hapy to be with you in san diego
Teen: ya it was fun
Maf54: did you want to foll around
Teen: ok…I really need to get back to studying.
One former page says pages were warned specifically to be careful with Foley five years ago.
"I know people who had been interacting with him like that, so I wasn't surprised. You know it's one of those things you know is going to come out some day," Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class who is now president of the Page Alumni Association, said.
House Republican leaders were told about possible problems with Foley last year, and now they want an investigation to see how many pages may have been victimized by Foley.
"Parents are going to be wondering what's going on. I mean, this guy has been doing stuff to kids for years, and they're going to be worried about the kids that are in there now and the kids that want to apply," Loraditch says."
"GOP Staff Warned Pages About Foley in 2001
October 01, 2006 4:00 PM
Maddy Sauer and Anna Schecter Report:
A Republican staff member warned congressional pages five years ago to watch out for Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page.
Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class, told ABC News he and other pages were warned about Foley by a supervisor in the House Clerk's office.
Loraditch, the president of the Page Alumni Association, said the pages were told "don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff."
Read all about it, http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/gop_staff_warne.html
It just baffling; the Republicans can warn new capital pages about Foley but did not know about his behaviors!!! …and senior member took $100,000.00 to the bank and left Foley with the pages, then had him write legislation on internet sex predators of children!!! What types of loop holes did he leave himself and his friends to evade law and be an internet predator of children!!??
On the other end of the spectrum, CIA warned bush administration over and over again about the dangers of al Qaeda and Taliban and they did nothing about it.
In both cased their defenses are the same, “…don’t remember”.
I love Raven's post of "Republican Sex Scandal" links. Who can argue with such credible sources as the National Enquirer and an unauthorized Frank Sinatra biography?
I also love Wolf's comment on how Republicans have never served in the military and therefore are incompetent. It may be true that they never served, but what is interesting to me is that most military members in the service today would consider themselves to be conservatives. If Republicans were so wrong on the war in Iraq then why do they continue to enjoy the support of a vast majority service members? I have deployed to Afghanistan and will leave for Iraq in about 4 months. Nothing scares me more than Democrats taking over this war. God help us all.
But we can agree on one thing. Foley is a real bastard. I hope he gets everything he deserves.
I cautioned earlier that we should be careful about our protests for they may come back to bite us.
Tonight (10/3/06) CBS News with Katie Couric had a report that included a portion there may be a series of cover-ups by the gay staffers and politicians, mainly democrat, of their affairs and activities on the Hill. (not just the Foley matter)
Are we walking into a trap by jumping on the Foley story too quick? Certainly we should criticize Foley, but ask yourself, who leaked those TWO YEAR OLD emails and instant messages? Why would the gop? Probably wouldn't. So, if it was one of the dems on the Hill that had these eamils and IMs, think how that will backfire. How long did they have them? What did they do with them? Talk about hurting us!
Didn't republicans call the Clinton scandal all kinds of names? Well here is what democrats should name Foley's "INTERNET ZIPPERGATE", and its starting to sound like a lot of republicans must have been honorary members by not saying or doing anything about it.
Lanny Davis just attacked Howard Dean for this message on Larry King.
I have never written to a political party but now I want to make sure the Democratic Party is doing something about former congressman Foley and the House leadership. What Foley has done and the cover up perpatrated by the Republican party is appauling - far worse than anything that President Clinton ever did!!! Especially now that we know that money was exchanged between Foley and the campaign committee coffers of Reynolds. I want the Democratic Party to keep this in the news for a good long time!!
The regressive republicans are nothing but self-righteous hypocrites!
Although ALL of the communications were on the iNet, some were e-mails, some were IM's. Does the content in the two seem to have a different character(as in degee of vulgarity, intimacy, or aggressiveness)? Were the two forms of communication chronologically at predominantly different days or months?
Although ALL of the communications were on the iNet, some were e-mails, some were IM's. Does the content in the two seem to have a different character(as in degee of vulgarity, intimacy, or aggressiveness)? Were the two forms of communication chronologically at predominantly different days or months?
I've noticed that the republicans don't like to call us the Democratic Party since they claim to espouse democratic ideals and not practice them. Instead they prefer to call us the Democrat party. THEY WON'T GIVE US ANY RESPECT! We have to ring it out of them. We need to go on the attack and turn their own words on them every time we get a chance. Such as "Cut and Run".
We Say yeah "We're the party that wants to CUT THE FRAUD AND RUN THE COUNTRY"
When they say a vote for Mark Foley is a vote for Joe Negron we say a vote for Joe Negron is a vote for Mark Foley and his gang of hippocrites.
Republicans have a hard time with the word "Democratic", it sticks in their throats. What do you expect?
When I was a kid, I found a dead robin. It was really cool looking, until I turned it over. It was full of maggots. Kind of reminds me of the Republican party. After that I left dead birds alone. Ditto for voting Republican. Yeeeech!
What I can understand are the die hard right wing nuts who keep failing to see the slime. There are so many things the Republicans keep prating about that don't pass the smell test.
As for the Republi-lites who vote along with the Republicans, I guess K street lobbyists use a lot of Fabreeze.
lets see the Republicans talk about sex and democrats get upset, go over your history, i do believe there are few Democrats got "caught" having sex scandals --over the last few years. Now what this congressman from florida did, is no excuse and he should not be in congress, but the road runs both ways...Look over your past history...
You know i think we should do the same thing to Foley that those dumb neo-cons did to president Clinton.We should do all we can to really show to the country what kind of hypocrits the republicans are. Lately i heard some republican saying something like "the democrats are leading this whole foley thing for their own political purpose". I couldn't believe he actually said it for crying out loud! I mean after all they did to Clinton and his administration and mostly to the people. As rsponsible americans we should vote this november and kick the republicans out of Congress!That's our duty.We should save the country, we should save our kids!!!
If Republicans were so wrong on the war in Iraq then why do they continue to enjoy the support of a vast majority service members?
I hate to tell you this, and burst your bubble, but if YOU talk to any Veteran who is no longer in the service, they will tell the same story.
The Military 'brain washes' their recruits from day one, in order to make them follow orders!
And one of the brain washes is that the Commander in Chief is always right! You found that even during Democratic Presidencies.
To allow military recruits to not question Mission or superiors, they must be brain washed.
Period! Now go and find out for yourself the REAL truth, and maybe Be The Change for those poor 18/19 year old slobs who believe the story they are told that they are fighting Terrorists in iraq so they will not come over here and get their families! Those Sunni/Shia/Kurds are fighting to get the USA OUT of their country. They are not coming over here. In Fact, check out the recent NIE report (16 Intelligence Agencies) which says there were ZERO terrorists in Iraq before we went in.
Now I am so sorry to be the one to break it to you that you are risking your life and limbs for NOTHING but lies. Good luck to you !
WAR... "What comcern to me he cries, are humanity
benevolence, modesty, temperance, gentleness,
Wisdom, piety, so long as half an ounce of lead
shatters my body, and I die at twenty
in torments unspeakable, surrounded by five or
six thousand dead or dying while my eyes opening
for the last time, see the town I was born in delivered to fire and sward, and the last sounds
that rearch my ears are the shirieks of
women and children expiring in the ruins.
And the whole for the prendended interest of
men we do not know?" Voltare...James...
In my opinion, all organized religons have one thing in common, They are all wrong!
Take a walk in the woods! James
Can't put God in a Box!
In my opinion, all organized religons have one thing in common, They are all wrong!
Take a walk in the woods! James
Can't put God in a Box!
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