Posted on 12/08/2006 11:04:48 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The House ethics committee has concluded that Republican leaders did not break any rules in handling ex-Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record)'s improper advances to former male pages but were negligent in protecting the teenagers, a congressional aide said Friday.
The committee was releasing its findings Friday.
The aide, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, was made aware of the committee's findings.
"The Republicans did not break rules but were negligent in protecting the pages," the aide said.
If the GOP is negligent -- and I believe they are -- then the Democrats are criminal.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, left, and other members of Congress, take part in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006 to discuss ethics reform. From left are, Collins, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., and Sen. John McCain. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
ap Update.. same link
WASHINGTON - The House ethics committee has concluded that Republican leaders were negligent in protecting male pages from ex-Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record)'s improper advances, but they did not break any rules in handling the Foley case, a congressional aide said Friday.
The committee was releasing its findings Friday.
The aide, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, was made aware of the committee's findings.
"The Republicans did not break rules but were negligent in protecting the pages," the aide said.
A four-member investigative subcommittee interviewed dozens of witnesses, including Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., to determine whether majority Republicans took strong enough action against Foley when they learned of his questionable e-mails and other computer messages.
Foley, R-Fla., resigned in late September after the scandal became public, but Hastert's office learned of the lawmaker's e-mails to a former page at least a year earlier.
Committee leaders said in early October that the investigation would be finished in weeks, not months, and members have said privately they did not want to carry the matter over until next year.
Foley became overly friendly with male pages when they served as errand-runners for lawmakers and — after they left Congress — sent some of them inappropriate e-mails and lurid instant messages.
The ethics committee, evenly divided by party, had to resolve several conflicts in the case.
Hastert's aides could have learned of Foley's inappropriate e-mails as early as 2002 and as late as 2005, depending on who is recounting the events.
The speaker said his aides first learned in the fall of 2005 about questionable e-mails between Foley and a former page from Louisiana. Foley's former top aide said he told Hastert's chief of staff about the Florida lawmaker in 2002 or 2003.
Also, Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Republican campaign chief Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., said they told Hastert about Foley's inappropriate behavior last spring. Hastert said he could not recall those conversations, and did not learn of Foley's conduct until late September when the matter became public.
___
Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.
Funny. CNNs headline when this first broke a few minutes ago was something like - Republicans not to blame or Republicans did not break any rules in Foley Case - I can't remember exactly. Now all of a sudden, they're spinning it Republican "Leaders Negligent in Protecting Pages." HUMPH!
"Well, I'm sure you're all very ethical, and some day we'll find out if it's true. But right now, it's time to play 'You Bet Your Life.'"
Apologies to Groucho.
A lot of faces, but not a lot of brains!
Of course I remember the Dems throwing Bwarney Fwank out of the House when it was revealed that his live-in homo lover was running a male prostitution ring out of Rep Fwank's residence. Don't you?
That scandal shows some of the real leadership issues from the last congress in a nutshell. We needed much more decisive leadership than we had and we lost congress because of it.
That scandal shows some of the real leadership issues from the last congress in a nutshell. We needed much more decisive leadership than we had and we lost congress because of it.
Democrats dropped this issue as soon as the pulled the pin on the grenade. The could care less now. They won the election. It wasn't about the seriousness of the charge, it was about getting power at all costs.
Damn look at that re. Not 1 true Republican in the bunch! All worthless!
Kolbe was atrocious. This report says he got emailed from his page in 2001, where Foley was asking the page about the size of his genitals. He then told the page not to speak up when the scandal broke.
How could he not have been sanctioned for that? Kolbe could have stopped this scandal 5 years ago. Good thing he is retiring. But how can the ethics committee say he shouldn't even be censured for letting Foley prey on his interns?
So what's a novice politician supposed to do when he is up close and personal with Randy Hornblower after hours in his cubicle?
Bump for later reading...
Regarding Kolbe, once you accept the premise of the homosexuals, you lose your ability to see these issues clearly or to act on them when you do see them. Kolbe is now a protected class (not yet official, but it's on its way..), so you cannot say anything about it. Why, to come down on Kolbe might cost you the gay republican vote (never mind how often they risk losing the family values vote). That's probably why Foley got away with his nonsense. No one wanted to offend the homosexuals. The Democrats and their media could do it because they are in a different position. They already get the vote of 99% of the pervert class, and how cuold they lose pointing out the Republican hypocrisy? Since the MSM won't point out their hypocisy (Studds, etc) they had a sure bet. Frankly the GOP got what it deserved regardless of the motives of those who exposed it.
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