Luckily, most of these folks aren't doctors, for they surely would cut the patients' nose off to spite their face.
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.
Amen.
He should have reported it.
"You know that is a childish argument. This is an absolutely disgusting situation and if Hastert knew of this he really should face harsh repercussions".
The hell it is!
I want to know why the hell Republican leadership has to step down in disgrace after one of our own who did such despicable things resigned in disgrace and will in all likelyhood be tried in a court of law for his crime , while Democrat (excuse me I meant 'RAT) Congressman Gerry Studds, back in 1973, actually comitted statuatory rape with a 17 year old minor AND GETS OFF WITH NOTHING MORE THA A 1983 CENSURE, NOT ONLY GETTING AWAY WITH A SLAP ON THE WRIST, NOT ONLY DEFIANTLY STATING, WITH HIS BOYTOY AT HIS SIDE, THAT IT WAS NONE OF ANYONE'S BUSINESS IF HE HAS SEX WITH A MINOR OR NOT, BUT GETS REELECTED 5 MORE TIMES BY THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF MASSACHUSSETS!!!!!!!!
Not risque correspondences like Foley wrote, which is horrible in and of itself!!!! ACTUAL STATUATORY RAPE!!!
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Studds"]Gerry Studds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/URL]
I am so SICK of the HYPOCRISY FROM THE LEFT! This is beyond the pot calling the kettle black! I am sick of these not having to play by their own rules
IF I DON'T SEE EACH AND EVERY REPUBLICAN SCREAMING THIS FROM THE ROOFTOPS IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS AND WEEKS, WE DON'T DESERVE TO WIN. PERIOD!!!!!
We need to start getting in the mud people. I'd like to have a honest debate about ideas and issues, but as the saying goes "You don't bring a knife to a gunfight".
This is WAR people. We had best start acting like it....
...and NOW!
/rant over
You're exactly right, Conservative! Demorats are like snakes, and there is no compromising anymore. Digging up dirt on Republicans and using the broken legal system is about all they have continously done in the past 5.5 years!
Clarice Feldman: But Democrats are attempting to make hay by alleging that the Republican leadership may have known about the inappropriate emails and covered them up for months. Their hope, no doubt, is to discourage turnout by disillusioned evangelical and other voters sensitive to moral issues. But the emerging background detail suggests that this is simply not the case....
It most certainly is the case.
You are aware that people within the House leadership knew of the inappropriate emails as early as late 2005?
We don't know when they learned of the IMs. But the emails are old news to them. Add that to the fact that pages have been warned about Foley for years, and it adds up to either a cover-up, incompetent investigating or a failure to take the charges seriously. It doesn't look good in any case, and the only thing to do now is drop the spin and come clean.
Semantics won't help. People knew he was a sicko, and whoever those were who knew but didn't do anything have to come forward now.This isn't about politics, it's about protecting kids from a predator. The more we try to soft-pedal it, the bigger opportunity we hand the Dims to score points.
Well , if you are a politician, EVERYTHING takes a back seat to consolidating your own power.
If that means abetting a predator in your midst in order to maintain a majority? Oh well.
Party politics is a game decent men are not qualified to play.
It's sure looking that way, isn't it?
I guess I expect that from politicians. I'm a bit taken aback that there are those here who are defending it, tacitly or otherwise.
Luckily, most of these folks aren't doctors, for they surely would cut the patients' nose off to spite their face.
Your spin is old and does not fit the facts.
"Clarice Feldman: But Democrats are attempting to make hay by alleging that the Republican leadership may have known about the inappropriate emails and covered them up for months. Their hope, no doubt, is to discourage turnout by disillusioned evangelical and other voters sensitive to moral issues. But the emerging background detail suggests that this is simply not the case...."
It most certainly is the case.
You are aware that people within the House leadership knew of the inappropriate emails as early as late 2005?
We don't know when they learned of the IMs. But the emails are old news to them. Add that to the fact that pages have been warned about Foley for years, and it adds up to either a cover-up, incompetent investigating or a failure to take the charges seriously. It doesn't look good in any case, and the only thing to do now is drop the spin and come clean.
Semantics won't help. People knew he was a sicko, and whoever those were who knew but didn't do anything have to come forward now.This isn't about politics, it's about protecting kids from a predator. The more we try to soft-pedal it, the bigger opportunity we hand the Dims to score points.
-What about Gerry Studds?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Studds
Well put.
Mehlman is gay?
What about Gerry Studds?
Pathetic sicko. Should not have been shielded by his corrupt party.
What does that have to do with Foley, exactly?
"This isn't about politics, it's about protecting kids from a predator. The more we try to soft-pedal it, the bigger opportunity we hand the Dims to score points."
Well put.
FWIW, jla, those were my words.
Blazing Saddles is the one who seems to believe that the whole pathetic scandal is some sort of Democrat plot, and that by attacking this sicko we are doing their bidding.
Just want to keep the players straight. I don't want anyone to be confused about where I stand on sheltering pedophiles for political gain.
You are aware that people within the House leadership knew of the inappropriate emails as early as late 2005?
Yes, and they told Foley to stop which he did. The emails were friendly in nature.
We don't know when they learned of the IMs.
Yes we know, and I posted so:
“No one in the Speaker’s Office was made aware of the sexually explicit text messages which press reports suggest had been directed to another individual until they were revealed in the press and on the internet this week. In fact, no one was ever made aware of any sexually explicit email or text messages at any time.
That means, they didn't know about the IM's until last friday.
But the emails are old news to them. Add that to the fact that pages have been warned about Foley for years, and it adds up to either a cover-up, incompetent investigating or a failure to take the charges seriously. It doesn't look good in any case, and the only thing to do now is drop the spin and come clean.
There was no cover-up, and if you have evidence to the contrary, post it.
Did you know that Hastert wrote a letter to AG Gonzales requesting an investigation of Foley? This is what he wrote: "As Speaker of the House, I hereby request that the Department of Justice conduct an investigation of Mr. Foley's conduct with current and former House pages to determine to what extent any of his actions violated federal law," link
The Republicans in Congress aren't soft-pedaling anything, in fact they are doing something the Democrats fail to do with their corrupt politicians like Gerry Studds or Mel Reynolds.
Semantics won't help
Right, so stop the misinformation and get on with the facts.
I do not support your position.
The EMAILS are are NOT THE SAME as the instant messages.
The emails were inocuous. Those are what the house had access to. ALL his house emails are stored and cataloged.
The instant messages were only revealed a two days ago. (three now). Foley has resigned and now disappeared.
The MSM is not hunting him down. WHERE IS FOLEY NOW?
If this was about power they would have just kept foley and spun "no controlling legal authority" or said the im's were fakes blah blah blah, ala bill clinton.
The fact is that there was no trial, there was not protracted "investigation". The ADULTS of the house leaders simply accepted Foley's resignation even before he wrote it.
Part of the problem here is that we have been getting a few Trolls looking to obscure the facts.
Democrats can't attack foley directly because the democrat party is the party of homosexuals and protecting the now exposed conduct of foley is part and parcel of their party's positions.
What about Gerry Studds?
Pathetic sicko. Should not have been shielded by his corrupt party.
What does that have to do with Foley, exactly?
SEE POST 343; SHOWS THE DIFFERENCE IN DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS! Gerry Studds, DEMOCRAT, was guilty of statutory rape of a 17 year old male congressional page, and served 5 more terms! I'll be damned if I'm going to comprehend it for you also!
I agree with you. I am appalled at the reactions on these threads. I have read some saying that the 'age of consent' is 16!!!???? KONK. I cannot believe any right thinking person could think that there is any justification for this.
So it's not a Democrat plot? You admit that Foley did all this?
If so, then you apparently think it's okay to shelter a pedophile, just so long as he's a Republican.
That's obscene.
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