Hastert Stands by Handling of Foley Case

ABC NEWS ^ | 10/2/2006 | ANDREW TAYLOR

[kellynla]

WASHINGTON - 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 speaker has and will lead the Republican conference to another majority in the 110th Congress," said Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean.

Hastert said his top aides and Rep. John Shimkus, a fellow Illinois Republican overseeing the page program, acted appropriately by trying to resolve the matter as an internal GOP problem rather than mounting a more formal investigation that would have involved Democrats.

[wagglebee]

Let me make sure I've got this straight:

In 1995 the GOP abandoned its principles and allowed Klintoon to win the budget showdown because they didn't want to look bad in the eyes of the public.

In 1999 the GOP abandoned its principles and allowed Klintoon to stay in office because they didn't want to look bad in the eyes of the public.

In 2005 the GOP abandoned its principles and allowed the
'Rats to force a compromise on federal judges because they didn't want to look bad in the eyes of the public.

But now the GOP should stick by its principles and probably lose control of Congress to stand by a Speaker of the House who hasn't exactly done all that great a job with the conservative agenda and THE HELL WITH HOW IT LOOKS TO THE PUBLIC?

[onyx]

Hello. I think it would look worse, were he to resign.

[what's up]

And according to Hastert, "we were misled" because according to Hastert the contacts continued....

I don't think this is true.

What's your source for that?

[LibLieSlayer]

I don't either, but he was steadfast in his having done the right thing, and I just see no misdeed on his part. Thanks for the return message!

LLS

[wagglebee]

Maybe, maybe not. What Hastert should have done is convinced Foley to retire and not seek re-election when he first learned about this. They had to know that sooner or later this was going to come out and that there would be no way to stand by Foley.

[wagglebee]

He should have convinced Foley to announce his retirement this past spring, they had to know that there was a real possibility of this coming out.

[onyx]

I'm not playing the 20/20 hindsight game.

[gpkdesign]

Hastert's only chance of staying is to disprove every allegation.

Allegations of what? He saw an innocuous email and didn't immediately ask for 3 year old instant messages that he didn't know existed? The media has created this frenzy in order to entice people like you to split the republicans and you have fallen for it.

Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. If Hastert learned of innocuous, yet still inappropriate contacts, he should have pursued the issue to make sure that this is all there was to this issue.

If we're honest with ourselves, we'd have to admit that we would expect at least that much from Pelosi if this had involved a democrat.

[gpkdesign]

IMO, this was orchestrated by Dims and they are the ones who withheld the information until now.

And if they weren't the ones withholding the information? What if Boehner did inform the speaker over a year ago? What if the speaker, fearing what could have been a deeper scandal, didn't pursue the issue more vigorously? Who is at fault then?

[gpkdesign]

Are you saying Foley didn't quit emailing the kid? Bear in mind that there were emails brought to the republicans attention last year, and there are instant messages from 3-4 years ago. The media is not interested in making the distinction between the emails and the instant messages which are not one and the same, nor are they interested in giving specifics as to what was written when.

Am I missing something here? IM or email -- both represent inappropriate contact with a minor. What Foley did was wrong. And if the appropriate authorities didn't pursue the issue enough, shame on them. We're only lucky that nothing more substantial hasn't come to light. What if, after being mildly admonished, Foley had actually sexually assaulted a minor?

[gpkdesign]

This whole brouhaha is a textbook example of why homosexuals were denied security clearances in less PC times. Just think of how Foley could have been extorted by a foreign intelligence service to keep this quiet.

The issue isn't homosexuality, it is pedophilia! That's not a PC issue.

[Wristpin]

Sure it is! I'm not sure how it works but I believe it is no longer technically considered pederasty once the child hits puberty.


According to liberal DC laws the young man was of age and it is a PC issue.

[LibLieSlayer]

There is NO evidence to back up that any Republican knew about more than the 2001 emails.

LLS

[wagglebee]

I heard Hastert today on Hannity, and I have now changed my mind about Hastert leaving. Hastert clearly thought that Foley had sent innappropriate, but harmless e-mails. Hastert did everything properly and is handling everything as well as can be expected.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Hastert isn't relying on the media to disprove things, he called for a complete investigation!

Yet another reason the Demonrats want control of the House.

[what's up]

Thanks for your feedback.

It would have been just awful if Hastert had been forced to quit over this.

The man just can't be expected to follow every whiff of scandal. Whether it be prostitution, gay sex, kid sex, campaign finance, treason...whatever. He cannot be expected to have a crystal ball.

Have a good night.

[spectre]

CNN's Paul Zahn leads off her show tonight with:

"Tonight, just 5 weeks from election night..TOP REPUBLICANS are attacking one another. And most of the rhetorical lines are aimed at the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert."

The slimy Liberal MSM smell blood. This thing is escalating beyond reason..The Republicans who were openly critical of Hastert did more harm than good. They shouldn't be proud of themselves..

sw

[onyx]

That's my take too, thanks!