Posted on 10/03/2006 6:28:46 AM PDT by gopwinsin04
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, ignored a call by a conservative Washington newspaper for him to resign as fallout continued from the political scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley and his explicit instant messages.
"The Speaker has and will lead the Republican conference to another majority in the 110th Congress," Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean said in a statement that comes a little over a month ahead of midterm elections.
"Mark Foley has resigned his seat in dishonor and the criminal investigation of this matter will continue. The Speaker is working every day on ensuring the House is a safe, productive environment for members, staff and all those who are employed by the institution."
The call for Hastert's resignation came in an editorial that appeared in Tuesday's edition of the Washington Times.
"House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once," the editorial says.
"Either he was grossly negligent for not taking the red flags fully into account and ordering a swift investigation, for not even remembering the order of events leading up to last week's revelations -- or he deliberately looked the other way in hopes that a brewing scandal would simply blow away."
The FBI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the House Ethics Committee are investigating Foley's conduct -- and whether there was any attempt to cover it up.
Foley, a six-term congressman and co-chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, was undergoing treatment for alcoholism and mental illness, his lawyer said Monday.
The Times editorial could be a signal that conservative Republicans are growing tired of the moderate Hastert.
The editorial page editor of the newspaper is Tony Blankley, who served as press secretary for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich after Republicans won the House in 1994.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Illegal to be a Republican ping
The FBI didn't dig up the IM's and somehow Hastert is supposed to?
The Democrats are walking a tightrope if they go after Speaker Haesert. He is a low key guy and attacking him will cause a backlash. The Times is owned by the wacko Moon, so the GOP leadership can just shrug them off.
The Boss should not give up, and "cut and run" just because of some hypocritical WT Ed board says so.
The Washington Times? I could understand the Washington Post dissing him, but the Times?
I don't think Hassert should resign now, but he should be replaced after the election.
(202) 636-3000
Geesh....I am mad at Hastert but not for this......is he asking that Foley's office be searched???
Bingo
LOL.....The Dems just need to sit back and watch as Repubs go on a feeding frenzy.....LOL....Eat all you can! Yummy!
"The party can't whoop it's way out of a wet paper bag at present, and it is not getting any better. All the money on the planet cannot fix this.
The only sane voice in the party is Bush. Whatta mess.....
Of all the people I am really disgusted with and mad at is Foley.His selfishness and ego put the Republican party at stake for the next elections. And in the war on terror his behaviors become criminal in more ways than one.
What a self centered creep!
GOOD FOR HASTERT!
I read somewhere that people have known about Foley's digusting nature for 5 years. Any truth to that or just more Democrat hyperbole?
I'm mad at Foley for putting the Repubbies in this situation and for being a hypocrit. But as far as going after younger people.....it's the same as when a 40 year old man goes after a 18-25 year old girl. A pervert's a pervert.
I heard 3 years....that instant messages were retrieved from 3 years ago. Doesn't mean that anyone except the kid knew 3 years ago----as IM's can be retrieved from a computer 'today' from years ago. All the pages are probably researching their computers today looking for OLD IM's.
Orchestrated BS.
Pelosi had the instant messages for three years.
Pelosi should resign from offices for allowing a homosexual sex predator to go unreported as he persued boys with her knowledge!!!
The democrats knew for three years.
The C.R.E.W. (democrat dirty tricks team) had them and sat on them.
seems children are cannon fodder for democrats.
Vote Republican. Nothing else trumps this basic credo.
But Hastert is one of that form of Republican that I find unnecessarily ineffective.
These pious, passive, pussies have no idea the nature of the enemy we fight.
Who are the enemy?
They are ruthless, anti-American, evil, despicable vermin who conspire to kill you, your family and your friends right where you sleep.
They are media propaganda experts, and delight in our sputtering respectful rebuttals, while they spew serial outrageous hypocritical accusations.
They delight in our unilateral adherence to Marquess of Queensbury rules of engagement, while they plot to slit our throats.
They are the enemy.
They are Democrats.
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