Why Should Hastert Have to Resign Over Foley's Perverted Actions? He Didnt Send Sexual Crap!
Speaker Dennis Hastert brushed aside any suggestion of resignation on Tuesday as House Republican leaders struggled to contain the fallout from an election-year scandal involving sexually explicit messages from a disgraced lawmaker to underage male pages.
Hastert issued a written statement as Majority Leader John Boehner said the speaker had assured him months ago the matter had been taken care of. "It's in his corner. It's his responsibility," Boehner, R- Ohio, said in an interview on radio station WLW in Cincinnati.
The lawmaker, former GOP Rep. Mark Foley of Florida, resigned abruptly on Friday and has since checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation program at an undisclosed location.
His departure left behind a trail of questions concerning the e-mails and instant messages he had sent pages over an unknown period of time. Beyond the details of his actions, Republican leaders feared the impact on the Nov. 7 elections and the possible loss of their House majority.
The Washington Times, a newspaper with a consistently conservative editorial page, called for Hastert's resignation, and at least one conservative activist has done likewise.
In response, Hastert's spokesman, Ron Bonjean, issued a statement that said the speaker "has and will lead the Republican conference to another majority in the 110th Congress."
Hastert and other leaders have laid out a complicated series of events. They say they first became aware of overly friendly e-mails from Foley to one underage male page last spring, but had no idea that the congressman had sent other sexually explicit messages to additional pages.
Even before then, Foley had been confronted in the fall of 2005 about his communications with the one page, and told to break off contact with him and all other pages. According to a weekend statement issued by Hastert's office, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who heads the page board, and the House clerk, met with the Florida lawmaker and told him to "immediately cease any communication" with the page.
Boehner, the second-ranking GOP leader, became the latest member of the party's high command to outline his involvement when he answered questions in his radio interview.
"I believe I talked to the speaker, and he told me it had been taken care of," he said, when asked about the e-mails that were not sexually explicit. He said that had occurred last spring.
"In my position, it's in his corner. It's his responsibility. The clerk of the House, who runs the page program, the page board, all report to the speaker, and I believed it had been dealt with. Again, I didn't know the context of what even the original message (said)," he added.
Boehner noted that his daughter had been a Senate page several years ago, and said of Foley, "If I'd known anything about the context of all this when it occurred, I'd have drug him out of there by his shirt sleeves."
The FBI announced over the weekend it was opening a preliminary investigation into the matter, but that, like much else, was a matter of confusion.
One law enforcement official said the FBI originally was given some Foley-related e-mail correspondence in July, but concluded that no federal law had been violated.
The agency reopened its preliminary investigation Sunday.
The law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, would not detail how many e- mails the FBI initially received or whether they came from multiple sources.
Meeting with reporters Monday, Hastert said his aides and Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., heeded the wishes of the parents of the former House page, who wanted such questionable e-mails to stop but didn't want the matter pursued. Shimkus, a fellow Illinois Republican and the man who oversaw the House program, along with the House clerk, told Foley last fall to cut off all communication with the former page, who lived in Louisiana.
Hastert says neither Shimkus nor his own aides saw the 2005 e-mail, noting that it was far less sexually explicit than the electronic messages that ABC News revealed last week.
"There wasn't much there other than a friendly inquiry," Hastert said of the 2005 message from Foley, described as "sick" by the boy. The message asked for a photograph and mentioned a different teen who was in "great shape."
Hastert said neither he nor other GOP leaders were aware until last Friday of the reportedly far more lurid computer exchanges two years earlier between the Florida Republican and another page. He urged anyone with sexually graphic e-mails that preceded Foley's resignation to contact authorities.
Foley's attorney, David Roth, told a news conference in West Palm Beach. Fla., on Monday that Foley was "absolutely, positively not a pedophile" and had never had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor.
ABC News reported that its initial report prompted another former page to come forward with a graphic e-mail.
Hastert said he does not recall being told last spring by Rep. Tom Reynolds, the House GOP campaign chairman, about the questionable e- mail, but he doesn't dispute Reynolds' account.
"I don't think I went wrong at all," Reynolds said at a Monday evening news conference in his western New York district, surrounding himself with about 30 children and about as many parents. "I don't know what else I could have done."
Shimkus, appearing with Hastert, said new measures would be implemented to keep pages safe, including a toll-free hotline for pages, former pages and families to report any incidents confidentially.
Read Story Here
Did The Democrats Page Mark Foley?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why the heck should Denny Hastert have to resign over this perverted Foley mess? Hastert saw EMAILS, that were weird yes, but NOT sexualy explicit. Foley was repremanded by Hastert when Hastert learned of this email crap. Obviously Foley went around Hastert's back and sent "Instant Messages" that WERE sexualy explicit. So the only ones who knew about these "Instant Messages" was Foley and whatever Pages he sent them to. ("Instant Messages" are not the same thing as "emails" for those that dont know) Which also begs the question, if these Instant Messages were sent over 3 years ago, why sit on them till now? Why not bring them about 3 years ago? Knowing Foley was a pervert, one would think a White House Page OR THIER PARENTS would have brought this to someones attention years ago. Why bring this out 6 weeks before an election? Hastert did NOTHING wrong and he shouldnt have to go ANYWHERE! I didnt see any heads roll when Gerry Studds or Barney Frank pulled worse than Emails and Instant Messages! They got CENSURED!! And STILL SERVED!!! This is nonsense!!Something smells fishy here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE:
Double Standards on Sex Scandals: Foley vs. Studds
Rush: Attacks by Democrats 'Totally Coordinated'
Bush Disgusted: In Favor Of Investigation
Foley Story Shopped to Media
Democrats Hypocrites on Sex Scandals
Ex-Rep. Foley Resigned Over Instant Messages, Not E-Mails
Gingrich Says Hastert Shouldn't Resign...
Hastert issued a written statement as Majority Leader John Boehner said the speaker had assured him months ago the matter had been taken care of. "It's in his corner. It's his responsibility," Boehner, R- Ohio, said in an interview on radio station WLW in Cincinnati.
The lawmaker, former GOP Rep. Mark Foley of Florida, resigned abruptly on Friday and has since checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation program at an undisclosed location.
His departure left behind a trail of questions concerning the e-mails and instant messages he had sent pages over an unknown period of time. Beyond the details of his actions, Republican leaders feared the impact on the Nov. 7 elections and the possible loss of their House majority.
The Washington Times, a newspaper with a consistently conservative editorial page, called for Hastert's resignation, and at least one conservative activist has done likewise.
In response, Hastert's spokesman, Ron Bonjean, issued a statement that said the speaker "has and will lead the Republican conference to another majority in the 110th Congress."
Hastert and other leaders have laid out a complicated series of events. They say they first became aware of overly friendly e-mails from Foley to one underage male page last spring, but had no idea that the congressman had sent other sexually explicit messages to additional pages.
Even before then, Foley had been confronted in the fall of 2005 about his communications with the one page, and told to break off contact with him and all other pages. According to a weekend statement issued by Hastert's office, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who heads the page board, and the House clerk, met with the Florida lawmaker and told him to "immediately cease any communication" with the page.
Boehner, the second-ranking GOP leader, became the latest member of the party's high command to outline his involvement when he answered questions in his radio interview.
"I believe I talked to the speaker, and he told me it had been taken care of," he said, when asked about the e-mails that were not sexually explicit. He said that had occurred last spring.
"In my position, it's in his corner. It's his responsibility. The clerk of the House, who runs the page program, the page board, all report to the speaker, and I believed it had been dealt with. Again, I didn't know the context of what even the original message (said)," he added.
Boehner noted that his daughter had been a Senate page several years ago, and said of Foley, "If I'd known anything about the context of all this when it occurred, I'd have drug him out of there by his shirt sleeves."
The FBI announced over the weekend it was opening a preliminary investigation into the matter, but that, like much else, was a matter of confusion.
One law enforcement official said the FBI originally was given some Foley-related e-mail correspondence in July, but concluded that no federal law had been violated.
The agency reopened its preliminary investigation Sunday.
The law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, would not detail how many e- mails the FBI initially received or whether they came from multiple sources.
Meeting with reporters Monday, Hastert said his aides and Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., heeded the wishes of the parents of the former House page, who wanted such questionable e-mails to stop but didn't want the matter pursued. Shimkus, a fellow Illinois Republican and the man who oversaw the House program, along with the House clerk, told Foley last fall to cut off all communication with the former page, who lived in Louisiana.
Hastert says neither Shimkus nor his own aides saw the 2005 e-mail, noting that it was far less sexually explicit than the electronic messages that ABC News revealed last week.
"There wasn't much there other than a friendly inquiry," Hastert said of the 2005 message from Foley, described as "sick" by the boy. The message asked for a photograph and mentioned a different teen who was in "great shape."
Hastert said neither he nor other GOP leaders were aware until last Friday of the reportedly far more lurid computer exchanges two years earlier between the Florida Republican and another page. He urged anyone with sexually graphic e-mails that preceded Foley's resignation to contact authorities.
Foley's attorney, David Roth, told a news conference in West Palm Beach. Fla., on Monday that Foley was "absolutely, positively not a pedophile" and had never had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor.
ABC News reported that its initial report prompted another former page to come forward with a graphic e-mail.
Hastert said he does not recall being told last spring by Rep. Tom Reynolds, the House GOP campaign chairman, about the questionable e- mail, but he doesn't dispute Reynolds' account.
"I don't think I went wrong at all," Reynolds said at a Monday evening news conference in his western New York district, surrounding himself with about 30 children and about as many parents. "I don't know what else I could have done."
Shimkus, appearing with Hastert, said new measures would be implemented to keep pages safe, including a toll-free hotline for pages, former pages and families to report any incidents confidentially.
Read Story Here
Did The Democrats Page Mark Foley?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why the heck should Denny Hastert have to resign over this perverted Foley mess? Hastert saw EMAILS, that were weird yes, but NOT sexualy explicit. Foley was repremanded by Hastert when Hastert learned of this email crap. Obviously Foley went around Hastert's back and sent "Instant Messages" that WERE sexualy explicit. So the only ones who knew about these "Instant Messages" was Foley and whatever Pages he sent them to. ("Instant Messages" are not the same thing as "emails" for those that dont know) Which also begs the question, if these Instant Messages were sent over 3 years ago, why sit on them till now? Why not bring them about 3 years ago? Knowing Foley was a pervert, one would think a White House Page OR THIER PARENTS would have brought this to someones attention years ago. Why bring this out 6 weeks before an election? Hastert did NOTHING wrong and he shouldnt have to go ANYWHERE! I didnt see any heads roll when Gerry Studds or Barney Frank pulled worse than Emails and Instant Messages! They got CENSURED!! And STILL SERVED!!! This is nonsense!!Something smells fishy here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE:
Double Standards on Sex Scandals: Foley vs. Studds
Rush: Attacks by Democrats 'Totally Coordinated'
Bush Disgusted: In Favor Of Investigation
Foley Story Shopped to Media
Democrats Hypocrites on Sex Scandals
Ex-Rep. Foley Resigned Over Instant Messages, Not E-Mails
Gingrich Says Hastert Shouldn't Resign...
posted by Marie's Two Cents | 10:45 AM
16 Comments:
This whole thing is an election PLOY by the Democrat's. Anyone who cant see that is seeing the world through rose colored glasse's. This whole thing come's out NOW?
C'mon, 6 weeks before an election?
Teddy,
LOL I Love That Name
This whole thing is an election PLOY by the Democrat's. Anyone who cant see that is seeing the world through rose colored glasse's. This whole thing come's out NOW?
C'mon, 6 weeks before an election?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well the timing is quite suspect, but you have to admit Foley get's what's coming to him.
Even though this was all email and instant messages and not as bad as Gerry Studds and Barney Frank, he's still a perv!
But it disgust's me also that the other ones get censured and continue to serve, and Foley resigns. I wonder what would have happened if he stayed and fought like the Democrats did when they had sexual misconduct charges!
But he did the right thing (Unlike the Democrats) and he's GONE!
Check out some of the other links I just posted, people are thinking the same things as you and I.
Good grief! You guys have jumped the shark.
Big time.
I'm just sitting back and watching you all implode.
LADY GREEN YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET YOU DONT KNOW WHATS GONNA HIT YOU. WAIT TILL WE TAKE THE GLOVES OFF MORON.
LADY GREEN YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET YOU DONT KNOW WHATS GONNA HIT YOU. WAIT TILL WE TAKE THE GLOVES OFF MORON.--anonymous
That's nice dear.
Anon,
My God! And I thought I was out there!
Drink something or smoke something and relax a bit lol.
And I would appreciate it if you wouldnt call people names on here.
Mrs Green,
Good grief! You guys have jumped the shark.
Big time.
I'm just sitting back and watching you all implode.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haha I'm not sure Implode is quite the word. I think some in my base are getting fired up.
And you thought I was out there lol
I can't be certain on what will happen at the polls in November. If the R's winn and they have an election for Speaker I think it's time for some fresh blood at the top. Denny Hastert was meant to be an interim Speaker after they forced Newtie and the boys out. I think somone like Bohener needs to be voted in but I don't think Hastert should resign unless they prove he knew what was going on all along.
As far as the dems go, if they stuble into winning the house Abscam Sam (John Murtha)if reelected will try to wiggle his fat ass into the Speaker's chair. Murtha belongs in jail and not in House. The only reason he diddn't go to jail is because he ratted out his Abscam buddies. I remember Abscam do any of you? I cut my teeth on politics in the era of Abscam.
Either way Pelosi or Murtha do not fit the Speaker's chair because they do not represent the America that has survived and thrived for the last 230 years.
"...they do not represent the America that has survived and thrived for the last 230 years."--jg
A malevolent statement if I ever read one, jg.
You may not agree with Pelosi's politics, but she's as much as an American as you are. She has her beliefs just as you do, and I'm certain she wouldn't imply that you are unAmerican for holding the beliefs you hold as you so viciously did to her.
The problem with you conservatives is your willingness to demonize people who don't agree with you.
Bush hasn't been able to enjoy the approval of a majority of the American people for a year now--that means most of them don't agree with him.
It is you, not Nancy Pelosi, who resides in the minority.
But I understand your bitterness. Looks like a hard rain's gonna fall.
Anonymous,
That's nice dear.
You should push the button on that guy now.
Have you seen the Drudge Report?
But upon reviewing the records, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, the young man was in fact over the age of 18 at the time of the exchange.
Mrs Green said...You may not agree with Pelosi's politics, but she's as much as an American as you are.
Plaese do not put words into my meaning that are not there Mrs. Green. I did not say Pelosi and Murtha are not Americans. I said they do not represent Americans that have made America great for the last 230 years. Pelosi and Murtha represent all the bad things that are not American ideals.Whining,lying and corruption should be character traits that frowned upon and not held in esteem. Murtha is corrupt and Pelosi has no ideas so all she can do is state how much she hates Bush. Losers, just plain losers they are and they represent that. Neither one of them should be able to hold the office of dog catcher let alone Congressional Representative.
"Whining,lying and corruption should be character traits that frowned upon and not held in esteem." --jg
Yikes! People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
"Have you seen the Drudge Report?
But upon reviewing the records, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, the young man was in fact over the age of 18 at the time of the exchange."--rjay
So, rjay, should the Republicans invite Foley back into the HOuse and tell him all is forgiven, after all, the Congressional Page wasn't underage, so that makes everything he did okay?
And I utterly condemn what that odious Democratic Congressman, Gerry Studds did with the Congressional Page as well. The people who kept voting him back in were obviously idiots and hypocrites. Those seem to be characteristics both parties share when it comes to hypocrisy.
Matt Drudge also called the Congressional Pages "beasts" and he blamed them for the whole sordid mess. Blame the victim.
If you get your news from Drudge, you may as well get it from my pet budgie.
RJ,
You should push the button on that guy now.
Have you seen the Drudge Report?
But upon reviewing the records, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, the young man was in fact over the age of 18 at the time of the exchange.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well I know I should have pushed the button but I thought I would give him one more chance to straighten up lol.
I am late getting back to the Drudge Report issue with you RJ, we have already discussed that today lol!
Mrs Green,
If you get your news from Drudge, you may as well get it from my pet budgie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey now dont start messing with the Drudgeman lol, he's more entertaining than the Times and 10 times as truthful!
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