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Rep.: Hastert Told of Foley Months Ago
The Ledger (AP) ^ | 9/30/2006 | DEVLIN BARRETT

Posted on 09/30/2006 3:06:00 PM PDT by wjersey

Rep. Thomas Reynolds, head of the House Republican election effort, said he told Speaker Dennis Hastert after learning a fellow GOP lawmaker sent inappropriate messages to a teenage boy.

Reynolds, R-N.Y., was told months ago about e-mails sent by Rep. Mark Foley and is now defending himself from Democratic accusations that he did too little. Foley, R-Fla., resigned Friday after ABC News questioned him about the e-mails to a former congressional page and about sexually suggestive instant messages to other pages. The boy who received the e-mails was 16 in summer 2005 when he worked in Congress as a page. After the boy returned to his Louisiana home, the congressman e-mailed him, and the teenager thought the messages were inappropriate, particularly one in which Foley asked the teen to send a picture of himself.

The teen's family contacted their congressman, Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who then discussed it with Reynolds sometime this spring.

"Rodney Alexander brought to my attention the existence of e-mails between Mark Foley and a former page of Mr. Alexander's," Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a written statement Saturday.

"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," Reynolds said.

Reynolds added that Alexander also discussed it with the clerk of the House, and the congressman who oversees the page program, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill.

Shimkus has said he learned about the e-mail exchange in late 2005 and took immediate action to investigate.

Shimkus said Foley told him it was an innocent exchange. Shimkus said he warned Foley not to have any more contact with the teenager and to respect other pages.

Democrats charged Reynolds did far too little and said more digging should be done.

"Congressman Reynolds' inaction in the face of such a serious situation is very troubling, and raises important questions about whether there was an attempt to cover up criminal activity involving a minor to keep it from coming to light before election day," said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney.

New York Democrats hoping to unseat Reynolds blasted the congressman, saying they call into question the Republican's values.

"Mr. Reynolds knew about these allegedly inappropriate emails from a fellow congressman to a minor for months and didn't lift a finger," said Blake Zeff, a spokesman for the state Democrats.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: barneyfrank; congressmorons; electionscongress; foley; hastert; markfoley; thomasreynolds
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To: wjersey

Surprisingly Foley was never caught on NBC Dateline To Catch A Predator.


281 posted on 09/30/2006 10:27:07 PM PDT by zeaal (SPREAD TRUTH!)
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To: muawiyah; NRA2BFree

I stand corrected. It was not a page technically but a male he put on his payroll (at taxpayer expense).


282 posted on 09/30/2006 10:29:59 PM PDT by Phosgood (Kerry was a Shill for Hillery)
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To: marajade
It would depend on where Mark Foley was when he sent the IMs.

Hi, marajade...is it conclusive that he sent the IMs? Perhaps he sent the emails but not the more salacious IMs?
283 posted on 09/30/2006 10:33:48 PM PDT by hummingbird (Bloggers killed the Media Stars.)
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To: hummingbird

I don't know anything conclusive other than what I've read on FR>


284 posted on 09/30/2006 10:34:39 PM PDT by marajade (Yes, I'm a SW freak!)
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To: NRA2BFree
Not to worry, I'll plan my jump so that I can land on you as you slither up out of the sewer. I figure anything as full of it as you are should make something soft to land on. LOL

See a shrink before it's too late. There's help out there, and good meds too.

285 posted on 09/30/2006 10:37:34 PM PDT by Barnacle (America, America God shed His grace on thee.)
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To: Wally_Kalbacken
Likewise in this situation - if the behavior was egregious (and I think it was) then those who knew and held onto the information for a strategic release date have to bear some responsibility for putting children/minors in danger for that holding period.

Accomplices after the fact for those who truly knew what was going on here or at least appearing to be going on? Like C.R.E.W. for instance...WHAT did THEY know and WHEN did THEY know it?
286 posted on 09/30/2006 10:45:17 PM PDT by hummingbird (Bloggers killed the Media Stars.)
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To: Iam1ru1-2
“In that email exchange, Congressman Foley asked about the former Page’s well-being after Hurricane Katrina and requested a photograph. When asked about the email exchange, Congressman Foley said he expressed concern about the Page’s well-being and wanted a photo to see that the former Page was alright.

My matron-of-honor when I married was caught in the hurricanes last year as she lives in Louisiana. She sent several pictures via email...trees fallen down, roads blocked, houses demolished, people crying over everything they lost (including relatives, friends and material possessions), etc.

Has too much been read into the "send me a picture" or am I just being naive?
287 posted on 09/30/2006 10:52:14 PM PDT by hummingbird (Bloggers killed the Media Stars.)
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To: GOP Poet
Only saints have done it any better. All of us humans are before God as sinners and some even draw from that relationship to become better men, not perfect ones that leave great gifts, sometimes inspite of themselves. JMO. /rant.

Amen, my FRiend.
288 posted on 09/30/2006 11:02:33 PM PDT by hummingbird (Bloggers killed the Media Stars.)
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To: Barnacle
See a shrink before it's too late. There's help out there, and good meds too.

That's an excellent idea! May I have the phone number to your shrink? I don't want the same meds you're taking, though, because they're obviously not working. LOL

289 posted on 09/30/2006 11:08:48 PM PDT by NRA2BFree
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To: montag813
If the GOP has any further dirt about Barney Fag, or any gay RAT congressmen or women, now is the time to release it.

Shouldn't be too hard to find something!

LOL! Maybe the whole Foley deal is to preempt something the dems KNOW they have on their side of the aisle that they certainly don't want to get out....maybe not even of a moral nature - maybe something like their connection with Soros, A.N.S.W.E.R, something concerning the Middle East, etc.
290 posted on 09/30/2006 11:11:52 PM PDT by hummingbird (Bloggers killed the Media Stars.)
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To: Ben Hecks
My suggestion was in jest but can you imagine the reaction if Foley had just announced that he was switching to the Democrat party?

At this hour of the morning, that strikes me as hilarious!
291 posted on 09/30/2006 11:24:59 PM PDT by hummingbird (Bloggers killed the Media Stars.)
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To: Suzy Quzy
What would be the charge for asking for someone to send you a picture?? DEATH??? 20 Years??

Punishment could be banishment to the Isle of Elba...hey, it worked once before! Different situation, but it still worked!
292 posted on 09/30/2006 11:27:30 PM PDT by hummingbird (Bloggers killed the Media Stars.)
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To: pipecorp; All

Pedophilia refers to the attraction to prepubescent or peripubescent children, and is not the correct term in the case of soliciting a 16 year old boy, something a majority seem to have a hard time grasping. When it comes to postpubescent adolescents, the correct term is hebephilia (or ephebophilia). Judging from this incident alone and without knowledge of what else he might've been up to, Foley is a practicing hebephile - or pederast - and not a pedophile.

This little exercise in semantics naturally doesn't change the fact that he should be dealt with accordingly; but the use of incorrect terms is a slight source of irritation to me.


293 posted on 10/01/2006 2:23:32 AM PDT by Wyoming Cowboy (There is nothing more worthless than a moral relativist.)
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Comment #294 Removed by Moderator

To: mkjessup
No, what it demonstrates is that Hastert did not have any knowledge of the actual content of the emails, and was not in a position to comment, as I read it - the family of the former page in question contacted their Congressman, who in turn took their concerns to Congressman Reynolds, who brought it to the attention of the Speaker.

It would be safe to say that there are so many allegations that fly around the House of improper conduct each and every day that it cannot be expected for the Speaker to have detailed knowledge of each and every one. That is why he designates and delegates other members to look into things like this.

So what did the "other members" find?

These are extremely serious allegations, and when confronted Foley admitted to part of them. That should have triggered a full-scale investigation.

It looks like the House leaders had several months, at least half a year, to investigate. Did they? Whatdid ABC do that Congress was unable to do?

If it comes out that Hastert or any of the other House leaders decided not to investigate, or put the investigation on the back burner to get past the election, then they must be forced to resign as well for sheltering this sick freak.

295 posted on 10/01/2006 5:14:18 AM PDT by highball (Proud to announce the birth of little Highball, Junior - Feb. 7, 2006!)
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To: marajade; lawdude
"He is a child molester."

Where is the evidence to support this?

You cannot be serious.

Anyone who talks to a minor about removing that minor's clothing, or asks if he makes the minor "horny" is a child molestor. He created a sexual situation with a minor for his own sick gratification.

The only question is the extent of the molestation, whether it went to physical contact or was only verbal.

296 posted on 10/01/2006 5:19:19 AM PDT by highball (Proud to announce the birth of little Highball, Junior - Feb. 7, 2006!)
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To: marajade

"I don't know and why he's being investigated."

Have you been enlightened in the past 11 hours?


297 posted on 10/01/2006 5:26:01 AM PDT by lawdude (Bill Clinton is a virus and should be treated as such.)
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To: trek
This is rich. The party that circled the wagons around President Clinton are now attacking Hastert for not exposing Foley.


Rich indeed.

It appears that both parties are more than willing to look the other way when presented with the inappropriate behavior of their party members.
298 posted on 10/01/2006 5:28:15 AM PDT by WhiteGuy (DeWine ranked as one of the ten worst border security politicians - Human Events)
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To: Victoria Delsoul

"FACT: There was no sex between Foley and the young man."

There is no sex between child porn possessers either. But they are prosecuted much more severely than Foley will likely be.


299 posted on 10/01/2006 5:29:36 AM PDT by lawdude (Bill Clinton is a virus and should be treated as such.)
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To: muawiyah

"That means all the gay people in Congress are going to have to start proving they leave kids alone ~ none of them should be accepted on their word alone. The percentage of the ones in Congress who are pedophiles seems to be VERY HIGH, and that's a risk we can't take."

What in the hell are you talking about? Just how many pedophiles can you identify for us please?


300 posted on 10/01/2006 5:43:35 AM PDT by lawdude (Bill Clinton is a virus and should be treated as such.)
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