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family values
The Foley Coverup Timeline
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On Friday, Sept. 29, 2006, Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned from
Congress after ABC News published inappropriate emails and sexually
explicit instant messages that Foley sent to underage boys.
Subsequently, it's become clear that Congressional leadership "knew
for months about e-mail traffic between Representative Mark Foley and a
former teenage page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Mr. Foley
to remain head of a Congressional caucus on children's issues."
Here is a timeline of the coverup, based on published reports:
2000 - Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) informed of improper Foley Internet
messages that made a page feel uncomfortable with the direction Foley
was taking their email relationship. Kolbe claims he never personally
confronted Foley, but rather recommended that the complaint be passed
along to his office. [Washington Post, 10/9/06; Arizona Republic,
10/11/06]
2001 - A Republican staff member warns pages "to watch out for
Congressman Mark Foley." A former page says that they were told
"don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that
kind of stuff." [ABC, 10/1/06]
2003 - Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) has sexually explicit IM exchanges
with an underage boy who worked as a Congressional page. [ABC News,
9/29/06]
2003 - Foley's former aide Kirk Fordham told The Associated
Press that "when he learned about Foley's inappropriate behavior
toward pages, he had 'more than one conversation with senior staff at
the highest level of the House of Representatives asking them to
intervene,' alluding to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Hastert's
office denied the explosive allegations." [CBS News, 10/5/06]
APRIL 2003 - Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) interrupts a House vote on
the 2003 Iraq supplemental to "engage in Internet sex with a high
school student who had served as a congressional page." [ABC,
10/3/06]
SUMMER 2005 - Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) sends inappropriate emails
to another former Congressional page. [CREW]
SEPTEMBER 2005 - Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), who sponsored the
page, learns "of the e-mails from a reporter." [AP, 9/29/06; CQ,
9/30/06]
FALL 2005 - "Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the [Speaker J.
Denis Hastert's] Office, received a telephone call from Congressman
Rodney Alexander's Chief of Staff who indicated that he had an email
exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House page...[Mike]
Stokke [Deputy Chief of Staff for Speaker Hastert] called the Clerk and
asked him to come to the Speaker's Office so that he could put him
together with Congressman Alexander's Chief of Staff." [Hastert
Statement, 9/30/06]
LATE 2005 - Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), Chairman of the House Page
Board, "was notified by the then Clerk of the House, who manages the
Page Program, that he had been told by Congressman Rodney Alexander
(R-LA) about an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former
House Page." Shimkus interviewed Foley and told him "to cease all
contact with this former house page." He did not inform Rep. Dale
Kildee (D-MI), the only Democrat on the House page Board. [Roll Call,
9/29/06]
EARLY 2006 - Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY) talks Foley into running
for another term. Bob Novak reported, "A member of the House
leadership told me that Foley, under continuous political pressure
because of his sexual orientation, was considering not seeking a
seventh term this year but that Rep. Tom Reynolds, chairman of the
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), talked him into
running." [New York Post, 10/4/06]
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006 - Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.), whose office
first received the complaint from the page, told Boehner about
Foley's inappropriate e-mails, and Boehner sent him to Tom Reynolds.
Alexander tells Reynolds about "the existence of e-mails between Mark
Foley and a former page of Mr. Alexander's." Reynolds tells Speaker
J=2E Dennis Hastert (R-IL) about the emails and his conversation with
Alexander. [Reynolds Statement, 9/30/06; Roll Call, 9/30/06; Hastert
Statement, 9/30/06; Chicago Tribune, 10/3/06]
SPRING 2006 - House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)
learns of "inappropriate 'contact' between Foley and a
16-year-old page" from Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA). After learning
about Foley's conduct, Boehner told Speaker of the House J. Denis
Hastert who assured Boehner he would "take care of it." Later,
Boehner changed his story and told the Washington Post he didn't
remember whether he talked to Hastert. [Washington Post, 9/30/06; New
York Times, 10/1/06]
SPRING 2006 - Reynolds says he told Hastert about the e-mails
after he learned about them. "He said he alerted the Republican
speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, to the issue, but Mr. Hastert
said he had no recollection of the contact." [The Sun, 10/3/06]
MAY 10, 2006 - Reynold's personal PAC, TOMPAC, donates $5,000
to Foley's campaign. [New York Daily News, 9/30/06]
JULY 21, 2006 - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in
Washington forwarded the messages to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation on July 21 and requested an investigation. [CREW,
10/5/06]
JULY 27, 2006 - Foley writes a $100,000 check to the NRCC,
chaired by Reynolds. [New York Daily News, 9/30/06]
JULY 27, 2006 - Foley, still co-chairman of the Congressional
Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, attends a signing ceremony
at the White House for the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
of 2006. [White House, 9/27/06; Talkingpointsmemo, 9/30/06; Washington
Post, 10/1/06]
AUGUST 7, 2006 - The NRCC accepted a $100,000 contribution from
Foley's campaign committee. [FEC]
SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 - ABC publishes emails between Foley and
former page. [ABC, 9/28/06]
SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 3:00 PM - Foley resigns. [ABC, 9/29/06]
SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 6:00 PM - ABC publishes sexually explict
Instant Messages between Foley and several former pages. [ABC, 9/29/06]
SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 - "Aides to the speaker [Hastert] say he was
not aware until last week of inappropriate behavior by Rep. Mark Foley,
R-Fla., who resigned on Friday after portions of racy e-mail exchanges
between him and current and former underage congressional pages became
public." [Chicago Tribune, 9/30/06]
SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 - Hastert admits he was told about the emails
by Reynolds in the spring. [Hastert Statement, 9/30/06]
OCTOBER 1, 2006 - FBI opens "preliminary investigation" of
Foley. "Officials say the FBI and Department of Justice lawyers are
trying to determine how many such e-mails were sent, how many different
computers were used and whether any of the teenage victims will
cooperate in the investigation." [ABC, 10/1/06]
OCTOBER 1, 2006 - Hastert urges Gov. Jeb Bush to initiate an
investigation. "As Speaker of the House, I hereby request that you
direct the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct an
investigation of Mr. Foley's conduct with current and former House
pages to determine to what extent any of his actions violated Florida
law." [Hastert letter, 10/1/06]
OCTOBER 4, 2006 - Former Foley aide and Reynolds' chief of
staff Kirk Fordham is fired. "People familiar with Fordham's side
of the story...said Fordham was being used as a scapegoat by Speaker of
the House Dennis Hastert. They said Fordham had repeatedly warned
Hastert's staff about Foley's 'problem' with pages, but little
was done." [ABC, 10/4/06]
OCTOBER 4, 2006 - House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) criticizes
Hastert's mishandling of Foley scandal, saying that "he would have
handled [the Foley scandal] differently if he'd known about it."
"I think I could have given some good advice here, which is you have
to be curious, you have to ask all the questions you can think of,"
Blunt said. "You absolutely can't decide not to look into
activities because one individual's parents don't want you to."
[AP, 10/4/06]
OCTOBER 4, 2006 - Right-wing blogger Wild Bill outs a former
congressional page. Roger L. Simon of Pajamas Media and Glenn Reynolds
of Instapundit link to the post. [ThinkProgress, 10/5/06]
OCTOBER 5, 2006 - The Hill reports that the source who gave
Foley's emails to news media says the documents came from a
congressional aide "who has been a registered Republican since
becoming eligible to vote." [The Hill, 10/5/06]
OCTOBER 8, 2006 - Former page says he and Foley engaged in sex.
The LAT reports, "A former House page says he had sex with then-Rep.
Mark Foley (R-Fla.)." The ex-page said his correspondence with Foley
began after he finished the page program for high school juniors, but
the sexual encounter occurred when he was 21 years old. "The former
page's exchanges with Foley offer a glimpse of possible predatory
behavior by the congressman as he assessed male teenagers assigned as
House errand-runners." [LA Times, 10/8/06]
OCTOBER 9, 2006 - "Moving with unusual speed," the House
Ethics Committee start interviews in its probe of the Mark Foley
scandal. Longtime Foley aide and former Reynolds chief of staff and
Foley aide Kirk Fordham will be testifying. [WSJ, 10/9/06]
This is a rapidly developing story. Let us know what we missed in the
comments section.
Filed under: Ethics
Posted by Think Progress September 30, 2006 11:47 pm
Permalink | Comment (127)
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1.
Gosh, but he didn't break any laws.
Comment by ForTruth - September 30, 2006 @ 11:52 pm
2.
Seems to me that republicans are the party of family values and
have very high morals.
Comment by recoveringcatholic - September 30, 2006 @ 11:52 pm
3.
Boy this scandal is getting bigger by the hour! One big question:
Were any other GOP Representatives involved sexually with underage male
or female Pages? Or is Foley the lone pervert in this scandal?
Comment by Jay Randal - September 30, 2006 @ 11:53 pm
4.
The chief question for me is, "was the GOP leadership aware of
the full nature of Foley's contacts with the Pages"?
There are serious discrepancies in what various GOP'ers have
said on this matter, and what they've already said is damning. Still,
I'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for news to come
out that the GOP House leadership knew this was more than a rumor about
some "friendly" emails they never saw.
Comment by Jonathan - September 30, 2006 @ 11:54 pm
5.
new guy,
I'm beginning to see a pattern.
Comment by Jeanne - October 1, 2006 @ 12:02 am
6.
What did Delay know? Since a lot of this happened while he was
Majority Leader, I wonder if he had any involvement in the cover-up or
was ever notified. Hopefully reporters will get to him for a statement.
Jamie
http://www.intoxination.net
Comment by Jamie - October 1, 2006 @ 12:03 am
7.
What happened to new guy's comments? And mine?
I admit it, mine was purely rude, but new guy was making an
actual point with his comments!
Comment by Zooey - October 1, 2006 @ 12:06 am
8.
Jonathon-one item is that several pages were quoted, via ABC,
as saying they'd "been warned to watch out for Foley" when they
began their orientation, etc. I doubt that this was info shared only
amongst pages-ie, Foley had a reputation for lewdness.
But I think your answer lies in their panic, frankly, and the
discrepancies you mentioned.
Comment by chisholm - October 1, 2006 @ 12:07 am
9.
The Delay point is very, very smart.
Comment by chisholm - October 1, 2006 @ 12:08 am
10.
Hey nice a Republican cruising minors for three years. All of
which occured during congressional sessions controlled by Republicans.
That is family values, responsibility, accountability and
leadership baby!
Comment by j+swift - October 1, 2006 @ 12:12 am
11.
Did DeLay know? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That is soooo funny. Ummm,
yeah he knew.
Comment by Jeanne - October 1, 2006 @ 12:18 am
12.
Chisholm,
Very good points.
Right now, I'm sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and
more former Pages to come forward with news they told GOP'ers about
more than just a few friendly emails.
Zooey - my comments have, of late, been slow to show up. I
wonder if the ThinkProgress commenting system is having problems.
Comment by Jonathan - October 1, 2006 @ 12:19 am
13.
To all the tools who bag on Clinton, at least his partner was of
age, oh yeah, and not a teenage boy.
Comment by buzzbomb - October 1, 2006 @ 12:21 am
14.
Jonathan,
I know TP has been having problems for a while now, but things
are better. These comments were actually up for a few minutes, and then
were deleted. Usually I have to use the f-word to get deleted...
Comment by Zooey - October 1, 2006 @ 12:22 am
15.
Republican Party is sacrificing our kids. They send the kids off
to die in Iraq or to get molested by the senior leadership. The party
of values is showing exactly what those values are. Perhaps they are
being led by the devil. Wasn't Satan supposed to appear as an angel
of light?
Comment by jdw - October 1, 2006 @ 12:26 am
16.
Slow comments? You guys usually don't see my pearls of wisdom
on this site. cough cough. I am usually posting on David Corn's web
site but they tried to hack his site and he's had to temporarily halt
the comment section. Seems the REPUBLICAN POWERS THAT BE didn't like
his pictures of waterboarding. I think, I know off topic, I think a
waterboard should be brought into the house and senate floor and placed
where everyone can see it. They voted for it why not have a good look
at what they voted for? I'd like to see them have to walk around that
cumbersome torture device.
Comment by Jeanne - October 1, 2006 @ 12:28 am
17.
Jeanne,
Hasn't that happened to David Corn at least a couple of other
times? He must be pissing someone off. :-)
Comment by Zooey - October 1, 2006 @ 12:34 am
18.
Hastert has an Iraq war veteran opposing him in Illinois. John
Laesch is a young carpenter today, with a brother still in Iraq. He
deserves a chance to bring new ideas and integrity to Illinois and the
House of Representatives.
Hastert, with his rubber stamping of Bush, and obscene growth of
his personal wealth from inside information on real estate in Illinois,
should be ousted.
This latest involvement in cover up of Rep. Foley is inexcusable.
The party of so called family values should have no place for
offenders nor those who cover for them.
Comment by Marie - October 1, 2006 @ 12:41 am
19.
This is great! Heads are rolling because of the fallout from
Abramoff and now Foley...After listening to Republicans say they were
perfect for so many years it's so much fun watching them
self-destruct!
Comment by Republicans Are The Fear And Smear Party - October
1, 2006 @ 12:58 am
20.
How are they going to spin this one. Let's see:
1> Foley was actually doing an undercover investigation, hoping
to go deep into the bowel's of on-line predators, by posing as one,
and finally discovering that Islamo-fascists and Democrats are behind
child exploitation. Once again, they'll shout with indignancy that
the irresponsible press has yet again, destroyed a crucial secret
government operation by leaking it to the world, and tipping off the
evil-doers. Al quaeda will back away from the kiddie-porn business
thanking Allah for the wonderful work of the liberal press,
particularly ABC.
2> Well, at least our guy wasn't married! Bill Clinton cheated
on his wife! Then he got in front of the cameras and he pointed his
finger.. and (you know the rest..)
3> No one could argue with the fact that Representative Foley
really LOVED children.
You know, as I'm reading my own letter, I'm thinking none of
these spins are so far fetched that I I don't expect to see them in
the national media soon. Why not! They've put worse crap out there.
Comment by waydot - October 1, 2006 @ 1:02 am
21.
Tune in tomorrow on Fox, waydot - you will surely hear some of
them.
Comment by Marie - October 1, 2006 @ 1:07 am
22.
Plain and simple. The party of "family values" was more than
willing to throw their supposed ideals out the window if it meant
losing a seat in the House. If I were a fly on the wall, the
conversation I heard would be "this is bad...real bad. But if we can
keep it under wraps until after the mid-terms in 2006...or we might
have to wait until the 2008 elections (since Foley would be running
again.) If nobody leaks this, maybe we'll NEVER have to deal with
it."
These people clothe themselves as "sheep", but they are the
ravening wolves.
Comment by impeachcheneythenbush - October 1, 2006 @ 1:14 am
23.
RESPONSE TO "ForTruth" - "Gosh, but he didn't break any
laws."
Yes he did. It is a felony to participate in sexual conversation
or solicite sex with a minor over the Internet.
Haven't you been watching 'DATELINE - TO CATCH A
PREDATOR"??
Comment by Beverly+S.+Hill - October 1, 2006 @ 1:16 am
24.
Since we're on the subject of "IN THE CLOSET" FLORIDIAN
POLITICIANS - FLORIDA'S REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR CANDIDATE CHARLES CRIST
IS AN "IN THE CLOSET" HOMOSEXUAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, the fact that he is Gay means NOTHING!
The fact that he is in the closet and represents the REPUBLICAN
PARTY WHO DESPISES GAYS MEANS EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!
Charles Crist is divorced, has no children and is "IN THE
CLOSET." Just like fellow Florida Republican Mark Foley was a week
ago.
YOU DO THE MATH!!!
Comment by Beverly+S.+Hill - October 1, 2006 @ 1:17 am
25.
Foley: Page me, boy.
Comment by Juan+C - October 1, 2006 @ 1:18 am
26.
Comment by Beverly+S.+Hill
He was being sarcastic.
Comment by Juan+C - October 1, 2006 @ 1:20 am
27.
Tomorrow, Exley will be here saying: it is most likely that this
is all a lie from the liberal media and evil-Muslim-Al Qaeda-member-
pagers.
Comment by Juan+C - October 1, 2006 @ 1:24 am
28.
Beverly,
I wouldn't have a problem with Foley if he were simply gay. The
problem is that, whatever his sexuality, he's propositioning underage
boys, and that's a crime.
Comment by Zooey - October 1, 2006 @ 1:25 am
29.
Juan,
Hasn't it been a lovely troll-free day? :)
We should mark our calendars, because it won't last.
Comment by Zooey - October 1, 2006 @ 1:26 am
30.
We should mark our calendars, because it won't last.
Comment by Zooey
Yeah. It is so weird that Im beginning to make troll impressions,
just for the amusement. Or would it be nostalgy ? :}
Comment by Juan+C - October 1, 2006 @ 1:32 am
31.
zooey - i'll second that...
i have a busy day away tomorrow... i'll be anxious to see how
all this pans out... who shows up to try and spin any of it...
stay strong, level headed!
keep up the great commentary!
g'nite all !
Comment by katy - October 1, 2006 @ 1:32 am
32.
he's propositioning underage boys, and that's a crime.
Comment by Zooey
No, Zoo...he was just overfriendly. Just like guys in a topless
bar.
Comment by Juan+C - October 1, 2006 @ 1:34 am
33.
Lack of trolls on TP means that Karl Rove is unsure how to handle
this problem! If the press really starts to dig, then they might
discover that Rove and Mehlman visit Gay bars, and perhaps hit on 18
year old guys? Perhaps other GOP Representatives are involved in sex
with underage Pages, or even an underground sex ring operation in DC
trying to recruit male Pages for prostitution? My gut feeling tells me
this is just the tip of an iceberg, and remember nobody in the GOP has
explained why a male hooker Jeff Gannon hung out at the White House?
Nobody has explained why the Secret Service had a log entry that said >
Gannon entertains Tony Blair tonight? What the hell does that mean,
since male escorts only do sex acts, not comedy!
Comment by Jay Randal - October 1, 2006 @ 1:42 am
34.
Juan+C > read the transcripts of the Foley IMs with underage
Pages > he talks dirty with them and says he wants to see them naked,
or even pull their clothes off > he is a sexual predator!
Comment by Jay Randal - October 1, 2006 @ 1:45 am
35.
October 6, 2006 (a late Friday afternoon)
Hastert Resigns.
::::
Comment by Andrew - October 1, 2006 @ 1:50 am
36.
he is a sexual predator!
Comment by Jay Randal
I havent read them, but I havent a doubt that he is what you say,
Jay. I was being sarcastic.
Comment by Juan+C - October 1, 2006 @ 1:54 am
37.
Juan > if you want to read them, several blog sites are hosting
the transcripts like PrisonPlanet.com and BuzzFlash and others have
links! ABC News has some posted on their site too! Foley is caught
red-handed solicitating sex from underage male Pages > in one IM the
young guy says he will meet Foley in a couple weeks, if he can fool his
parents or something! Very creepy and ABC says they have far worse IMs
that are too vulgar to post online!
Comment by Jay Randal - October 1, 2006 @ 2:06 am
38.
So does this mean that Foley will now love instead of hate that
damn ACLU and the NMBLA?? Oh wait, he was for the NMBLA before he was
against it!
http://www.house.gov/ apps/ list/ press/ fl16_foley/
072106senatesopass.html
FOLEY LEGISLATION OVERHAULING AND STRENGTHENING SEX OFFENDER
PENALTIES INCLUDED IN ADAM WALSH CHILD SAFETY ACT OF 2005
July 21, 2006
WASHINGTON - Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL), Co-chairman of
the Missing and Exploited Children Caucus, applauded Senate passage of
legislation he authored and introduced overhauling our nation's sex
offender registration and notification laws.
"For too long our nation has tracked library books better
than it has sex offenders. That day is coming to an end," said Foley.
"Senator Hatch and Leader Frist have been resolute in keeping this
legislation on track. We are closing loopholes that sex offenders and
pedophiles have used to prey on children." Included in the
legislation are provisions Foley authored and introduced last year
including:
Highlights of the Foley Provisions in H.R. 4472, the Adam
Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006
A. Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (Title I)
I. New Changes to Current Law: General
Creates New, Tougher Registration Requirements for Sex
Offenders:
Expands Existing Offenses against Children: The bill adds,
among other things, the "use of the Internet [email] to facilitate or
commit a crime against a minor" as one that will trigger
registration.
Foley is certainly no genius..
Comment by Dog+named+Boo - October 1, 2006 @ 2:09 am
39.
For too long our nation has tracked library books better than
it has sex offenders. That day is coming to an end," said Foley
Yes Foley is a fortune teller!
I also notice Frist and Hatch are part of this debacle;
"Senator Hatch and Leader Frist have been resolute in
keeping this legislation on track. We are closing loopholes that sex
offenders and
pedophiles have used to prey on children."
No they didn't they help to hide this mans actions!
Can you say hypocrites of the Nth degree!!!
So much for the 'moral majority', eh?
Comment by Dog+named+Boo - October 1, 2006 @ 2:15 am
40.
Something tells me, that what the Republicans have in mind when
they focus on the family, is not quite what most American paerents have
in mind.
Comment by Bruce+Gorton - October 1, 2006 @ 2:34 am
41.
I just put together this same timline.
According to Roll Call
http://www.rollcall.com/ issues/ 1_1/ breakingnews/ 15263-1.html
One source said Boehner told Alexander to go to Reynolds with his
concerns about Foley's behavior.
So if true, that would mean Alexander told Boehner in early Feb.
2006 (after Boehner became Majority Leader), because...
Roll Call also says that Alexander Told Reynolds in early Feb.
2006:
http://www.rollcall.com/ issues/ 1_1/ breakingnews/ 15260-1.html
GOP sources said Reynolds told Hastert earlier in 2006, shortly
after the February GOP leadership elections. Hastert's response to
Reynolds' warning remains unclear.
That would probably move up Boehner telling Hastert to Feb. 2006.
ALSO:
The story that Alexander learned of the emails from a reporter is
highly suspect. Most stories now say the Page contacted a former
colleague, a staffer in Alexander's office (maybe even the Chief of
Staff). And while no article I have found says explicity that the
staffer then told Alexander, that presumption is probably true.
Comment by along - October 1, 2006 @ 4:08 am
42.
Hey, don't buy into this Terrorist Propaganda!!
And we all know that recieving a Blow Job from a consenting adult
is a much much much greater offense.
All of them are going to walk away from this, as they ever do.
The GOP will even win Foley's district with his freaking name on the
ballot.
Comment by tisk - October 1, 2006 @ 5:10 am
43.
Add to time line via St Petersburg news Online
-
"The boy, who is not being identified because of his age, told
the St. Petersburg Times in an interview last November, when the Times
first learned of the e-mails, that he cut off correspondence with
Foley.
"I thought it was very inappropriate," the boy told the
Times. "After the one about the picture, I decided to stop e-mailing
him back."
-
One must ask how could this newspaper sit on this story for since
Nov 2005 ? Or was this going to be there October surprise.
Comment by Skip in DC - October 1, 2006 @ 6:08 am
44.
Foley flew.
The GOP knew.
Turk 182.
Comment by Turk182 - October 1, 2006 @ 7:02 am
45.
He knows how to work a crowd! When folks from Heritage Baptist
Church made a visit to D.C., proudly documented on the church website,
Foley took time from a very busy schedule to "interact with our
children." Never too soon to recruit some future congressional pages.
Wonder how long it will take the church to delete that photo
(fourth one from the top)?
Comment by Jim Source - October 1, 2006 @ 7:03 am
46.
if mark foley is trying to seduce teenage boys, he is a
hypocrite. it is right that he resigned. and he should be investigated.
but just so you are aware, if mark had a (D) by his name, you would all
be crying about the timing of this before the election, as a
conspiracy.
Comment by paul - October 1, 2006 @ 7:22 am
47.
Those of you wondering where the trolls are, I think I saw one of
them eyeing some Sunday school boys at church today....in other words,
the trolls are busy trolling.
Seriously how DO you spin this story? Although I have heard one
attempt. The tired, old conspiracy theory of..."It's suspious that
this came out as an election approaches." As if even if true, that
Foley is still not a perv.
What gets me about this? The fact that gerrymandering all over
the country will probably save the seats for Republicans and Hastert
will probably still will win his seat (if he isn't forced to resign
out of embarassment).
Due to the fact that ballots in Florida have already been
printed, Foley's name will be on the ballot and the Republican that
runs instead of Foley will receive votes made for Foley. That could be
positive to that future Repug candidate because mindless voters will
probably still want to vote for Foley. I'd be suprised if half the
Republican voters in that district on election day would even know that
Foley had resigned.
Comment by jon - October 1, 2006 @ 8:32 am
48.
Aaaaahhhhhhhh........
No more stories about Katrina ......
No more stories about Darfur ......
No more stories about poverty ......
Are there any Dems left in this race?
Comment by Jason+M.+Hendler - October 1, 2006 @ 8:33 am
49.
ThinkProgress is deleting comments.
ThinkProgress ignores Habeas Corpus.
ThinkProgress does not ignore sex stories.
Comment by Concerned - October 1, 2006 @ 8:42 am
50.
Most Americans see the issue clearly: right is right and wrong is
wrong. You can say, "Yeah, but..." all you want if you think that
helps take the edge off the allegations. But people expect leaders to
exercise judgment and common sense. If a congressional leader knew
another member was initiating inappropriate contact with a child,
regardless of party affiliation, that leader had an obligation to put
the safety of the child first, above any partisan consideration.
Turning a blind eye may be convenient, but it's not right.
The fact is that the GOP leadership knew of the unwelcome and
inappropriate contact, didn't look too closely and now realizes it
should have taken the information more seriously. I'm sure everyone
from Rove on down wishes Foley was a Democrat, you don't really have
to say that. And generally I agree with the GOP that it's fun to play
partisan games for points and profits. But in the case of the welfare
and safety of children, I think we have a responsibility to address the
issue responsibly. Why wasn't the response more effective, how can we
implement better protections for children? Since the GOP controls the
Congress, the duty falls on them to get to work on this.
Comment by Jim+Source - October 1, 2006 @ 8:48 am
51.
#50, Jim Source,
Everyone agrees his actions were wrong, but what are the typical
processes used to handle these circumstances. Per Newt Gingrich, former
Speaker of the House, the incident was processed through the typical
channels, and per the request of the parents, was kept quiet. Moreover,
since it was a gay incident, they were hesitant to take more severe
action, because they didn't want to be accused of gay bashing. Upon
being caught in a second offense, Foley immediately resigned, knowing
that he would have been dismissed by the Reps.
Comment by Jason+M.+Hendler - October 1, 2006 @ 9:22 am
52.
#20
waydot,
You don't have the Republican mindset. The 'spin' will
be...it was the kid's fault. He encouraged the emails. He put
thoughts in Foley's head.
Comment by Jeanne - October 1, 2006 @ 9:34 am
53.
Wow, the Clinton interview is really working against the Dems -
consider yourselves "helped".
Comment by Jason+M.+Hendler - October 1, 2006 @ 9:44 am
54.
Seriously, is it any wonder how the congress could vote for a
torture bill? They were willing to hide a pedophile. Not only do they
have no scruples, they have no soul. Who doesn't protect a kid in
your own midst?
Comment by Jeanne - October 1, 2006 @ 9:49 am
55.
"Where there's smoke, there's always fire" (profound one
for a Sunday morning) However, true to the adage, there is no doubt
that more potential victims or outright victims will appear on the
radar. Rove's probably busy attempting to establish just "how
many" skeletons might come jumping out of the GOP closet at this
point so he's pretty mute. (Absence of paid trolls on this site
indicates as much)
Fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be for the kids
involved, there's really no political way to "spin"
pedophilia...at least as far as I know. It is something which most
adult abhore and will upset any "october surprise" Rovey might have
had in the works. I guess it's now the "reverse October
surprise"??
If we hold our teachers accountable to report suspected child
abuse IMMEDIATELY to the authorities, what were these illustrious
elected officials "sitting on this for so long" before reporting it
appropriately????
Should we not hold our elected officials to the same measure of
responsibility as we hold our teachers???
Should this not be considered an amoral standard of practice by
the individuals who knew about it (Hastert, Boehner, etc.)? It
certainly sounds that way to me.
This current "culture of corruption" in Washington, in
general, and within the innermost circles of the GOP, specifically,
bespeaks a level of decadence yet heretofore unprecedented in this
country. When are the people going to say "enough already"?????
Comment by ruskindoc - October 1, 2006 @ 9:50 am
56.
...or perhaps more accurately, the GOP reply will be "the devil
made him do it"....sulphur, anyone?
Comment by ruskindoc - October 1, 2006 @ 9:51 am
57.
You guys dont get it. Under the twisted logic of the Bush regime
if you oppose Foley you are anti-american and for the terrorists since
by extension Foley is an ardent supporter of the regime's policies.
Your rights to habeas corpus could be suspended because you are against
a child molester!! Only in America.
Comment by Jason+Baddo - October 1, 2006 @ 10:10 am
58.
#55 This current "culture of corruption" in Washington, in
general, and within the innermost circles of the GOP, specifically,
bespeaks a level of decadence yet heretofore unprecedented in this
country. When are the people going to say "enough already"?????
Short of an armed revolution or military coup the status quo will
prevail in the country regardless of the outcome in the Nov election.
The system may not be broken fundamentally but it will take a major
cleansing to renew the vigor and trustworthiness that the founding
fathers envisioned for our country.
Comment by Jason+Baddo - October 1, 2006 @ 10:23 am
59.
foley's actions and the subsequent cover-up directly embolden
our enemies
Comment by pgw - October 1, 2006 @ 11:24 am
60.
#51 Great post.
Okay, let's go over the talking points. The one about the
parents wanting to keep it quiet is your strongest. I would wrap myself
around that one just as tightly as possible. Play it this way: The GOP
leadership dearly wanted to address the issue, but the parents didn't
want them to do anything for fear of embarrassing the boy (but use the
term 'young man' - makes him sound older). The parents weren't
making a big deal about it, so the GOP leadership didn't realize the
implications. The parents just wanted Foley to stop contacting the
young man, and, after the GOP leadership gave him a stern talking to,
he knocked it off. It plays into the concept that parents should be the
ones who decide issues for their kids. The Congress can't tell
parents how to raise their children, that's their business.
The point about just following procedures is not quite as strong.
Better to say the response was appropriate given the information the
leadership had at the time. NOW, with new information thanks to our
sainted news media, we see that his behavior was bad, bad, bad - not
just overly friendly. That's a keeper phrase by the way. "All we
knew was that he was overly friendly." Yeah, like a funny uncle,
bothersome but harmless. Hammer on that point.
Your lead point, that the GOP wanted to avoid creating a hostile
climate for gays, is really weak. First of all, nobody will believe it.
Secondly, gays are bad (even Republican gays). And saying that the GOP
leadership was afraid of getting criticized for gay bashing, well, that
point needs a little work. The GOP is proud of its record of fighting
the culture war. After all, it's the most important issue facing
America. I would drop this line of argument and stick with my strong
points.
Glad we cleared that up. U S A, U S A, U S A . . .
Comment by Jim+Source - October 1, 2006 @ 11:36 am
61.
I wrote a letter to the editor of the most popular suburban
Chicago newspaper (Hastert's area) and expressed my outrage that
they, once again, have shown their true Republican bias. Not only did
they fail to mention Hastert's involvement in the Foley cover up,
they failed to cover the Foley story at all!
They don't cover John Laesch who is running against Hastert.
They didn't report Duckworth's response to the Bush radio
address yesterday.
This is a glaring example of why the corrupt Republicans continue
in power, the media is complicit, aiding them every step of the way, by
keeping the general public uninformed.
Comment by Marie - October 1, 2006 @ 11:41 am
62.
pgw,
I know you were being facious about aiding the enemy but actually
the Muslim fanatic line is that godless America is engaged in a crusade
against righteous Muslims, ergo Foly's godless actions and the
Republican leadership coverup support their claims
Comment by hisjag - October 1, 2006 @ 11:54 am
63.
#52 Jeanne,
I can't believe I forgot that one. Thanks.
Comment by waydot - October 1, 2006 @ 12:03 pm
64.
The problem as I see it is that the Republicans have had a lock
on power for so long now they have become arrogant and self serving.
The most constructive action that could be taken by all of us that
appose there lock on power is to remind every friend , acquaintance ,
co-worker, the guy at the 7-eleven, anyone we might meet that they must
vote for there Democratic candidate even if that candidate is not there
perfect choose, remind them that without a Democratic majority in one
of the houses the cover-ups will continue.
E-mail E-mail E-mail
Comment by Michael - October 1, 2006 @ 12:20 pm
65.
The "Do Nothing" Congress strikes again! I bet they are
kicking themselves for that now. The fact that so many people were
aware of this is especially damning. They shold have had the NSA spying
on him, to make sure he stopped sending those e-mails. At the very
least they should have removed him as Chairman of that caucus, but that
didn't happen either. Ah well, live and learn... or not.
Comment by CyraBrown - October 1, 2006 @ 12:25 pm
66.
The transcript:
http://americablog.blogspot.com/foleychatim.jpg
Comment by Anonymous - October 1, 2006 @ 12:55 pm
67.
I am no friend of the GOP, but the emails I saw COULD be innocent
enough. Asking for a photo could just mean he has a bad memory for
faces and is worried that he might see the kid again in Congress and
not recognise him. I say could... Of course I don't know for sure,
but it's slippery ground for a witchhunt.
Comment by Martin Cleaver - October 1, 2006 @ 1:56 pm
68.
OK, here's my problem with this. If it had been anyone but a
politician he would have be dragged out by the police and we would have
seen film on the news.
Instead, he's allowed to resign and walk out.
This members of Congress are better than everyone else is getting
really old.
He should be sitting in jail along with Hastert for covering this
up.
Comment by MatteFinish - October 1, 2006 @ 2:30 pm
69.
[...] WaPo detailed the chain of event leading up to Foley's
disgrace and concluded, "Republicans appeared to have kept the matter
under wraps." ThinkProgress has a timeline of the alleged cover-up.
[=2E..]
Pingback by On The Turning Away =BB Foley Fallout: Was There A
Cover-up? - October 1, 2006 @ 3:17 pm
70.
Foley was stupid. He should have known you can only have gay sex
with a page and stay in office if you are a Democrat from MA.
Otherwise, you'll always get kicked out.
Comment by Jeff - October 1, 2006 @ 3:42 pm
71.
WOW-What an interesting bunch of posts-Amerika is not ready for
the truth-The Repewblicans gave us Watergate, Monicagate, Iraq,
Roberts, Scalia and Scalito, Tom Delay and now this. But many people
will say-"Hey-no big deal" Clinton did......
It has been said that "no-one ever lost money underestimating
the American public." No doubt Faux news will spin this like a yo-yo
and Shrub will have nothing to say. The Supreme Court of the US is
being reminded ever day of their obscene dereliction of their duty to
be fair and just when they handed the election to their friends. As a
seventy- one year old Korean War Veteran I am ashamed of my country and
of the people who think that bush is a great president.Those who are
interested can look up the definition of what a Foley is.
Peace out Brothers and Sisters!!
Comment by Pete BeBop - October 1, 2006 @ 8:08 pm
72.
[...] Think Progress =BB The Foley Coverup Timeline [I]t's
become clear that Congressional leadership "knew for months about
e-mail traffic between Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage
page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Mr. Foley to remain head
of a Congressional caucus on children? (tags: politics) [...]
Pingback by Brewed Fresh Daily =BB links for 2006-10-02 -
October 1, 2006 @ 8:32 pm
73.
I wish I could post something witty and original, but I
can't... I'm disusted, just disgusted.....
Comment by Dave - October 1, 2006 @ 8:41 pm
74.
Kinda affirms that many Republicans are closet gays. Explains why
they are so damn scared of homosexuals.
Comment by USA - October 1, 2006 @ 10:32 pm
75.
[...] Exhibit D: Mark Foley The Foley Coverup Timeline courtesy
of Think Progress [...]
Pingback by Thought-Criminal: =BB Morally Bankrupt Politicians
Have Reached An All New Low - October 1, 2006 @ 10:35 pm
76.
There are many other Tom Foley's in the Congress and Senate.
Our elected leaders simply feel they will never get caught. What an
embarassment to think that Foley was suppose to protect kids, but
instead was having affairs with who knows how many male teens.
His public statements are a disgrace and voters are completely
naive when it comes to how personal lifestlyes cloud political
decisions. If elected leaders are dishonest about their personal lives,
they also lack the will to make proper decisions when it comes to
decisions made for the good of the country.
Richard Markland
Comment by Richard Markland - October 2, 2006 @ 8:52 am
77.
Q: Why doesn't Rep. Foley use bookmarks?
A: He just bends over the pages.
Somebody had to say it.
Comment by Marge+N.+Overa - October 2, 2006 @ 9:32 am
78.
Mr. Speaker, You Must Resign...
This Foleygate story is shifting so quickly, I don't know where
to begin. But I'll take a stab at it.
Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, you must
resign.
Here's the backstory:
The deviant and reckless conduc...
Trackback by La Shawn Barber's Corner - October 2, 2006 @ 9:34
am
79.
#76 Richard.. you nailed it.
This is yet another example of one hand washing the other. As
this story will get investigated further, other pages will come
forward. There will be glaring facts many Congressional leaders new of
it, but did nothing. What you will not hear is the 'why' no action
was taken to stop it. The 'why' is that everyone that could have
stop it earlier probably has some 'dirty laundry' themselves. When
you start a public investigation of a Congressional leaders personal
life, you never know where the magifying glass will stop. They were
afraid to expose themselves of similar 'moral lapes.'
The best way for Republicans to spin this will be to bring up a
some crisis so that the American public can be blinded by fear once
again. Remember Gary Condit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Condit)
benifited from the tragedy of 9/11.
Comment by Mike Wilson - October 2, 2006 @ 9:55 am
80.
Feeling bummed out, I was listenning to the Randi Rhodes show
after the 2004 elections and she said " don't move to Canada yet,
these neocons will shoot themselves in the foot sooner or later" she
was prophetic, theirs a whole lot of republican body parts missing.
Speaking of shooting, some pellets adorn the face of a unnamed lawyer
courtesy of our VP. Take a look at Crain's NY Business September 18 -
24, 2006 issue, "Conservative malaise hurts Fox news" they are
losing viewers by double digits. This no Spin Factor. Keep hope and
live, get out and do something!
Comment by Rick - October 2, 2006 @ 11:35 am
81.
# 27, Juan+C.....You and Zooey miss me when I am gone, don't
you? That's sweet...Okay, well, you can relax. I am back.
Alas, Juan, you couldn't be more wrong. Foley is a vile and
odious human being; morally depraved pervert who should be investigated
by the House and the FBI. If anyone in the House leadership knew of his
sexually explicit e-mails to teenage pages and did nothing, they should
step down.
Comment by Exley - October 2, 2006 @ 11:42 am
82.
This is really sick. We send our children (boys or girls) away to
Congress and provide them a privileged opportunity to sit at the feet
of the nations lawmakers at the historic and hallowed halls of justice
and at the very foundation of all that makes these United States stand
tall among the peoples of the world only to risk their being sent back
to us sexually aroused, emotionally distorted, corrupted, with a warped
perspective and even raped.
America? Nahh! Lock the creeps up and throw away the sabres used
to behead them!!
As the father of children, I thank God that this is not America
as I know it and that my children have first class relationships (i.e.
their father, mother, pastor) to rely upon as role models and heroes.
But this opportunity is not one that I would comfortably allow my
children to be a part of. This is soooo disgusting and I hurt for the
children and their families that had to experience this mess.
-A concerned Dad
Comment by D. Mitchell - October 2, 2006 @ 11:57 am
83.
[...] The apparent cover-up and scrambling that is going on
around Rep. Foley's resignation around charges of having sexually
explicit instant messages with a house page is hot news. You can get a
pretty good timeline over at Think Progress. [...]
Pingback by ProgressOhio Blog =BB Blog Archive =BB PageGate Boiling
Over - October 2, 2006 @ 11:59 am
84.
[...] From the reports I've been seeing, thus far we've got
at least four members of the House who knew: Dennis Hastert (R-IL),
John Boehner (R-OH), John Shimkus (R-IL), and Rodney Alexander (R-NY).
And those are the ones who have come to light after less than a week.
I anticipate the names of even more members of the House are going to
be discovered and I anticipate the majority of them are going to be
Republicans. [...]
Pingback by EriePressible: The Blog =BB English Weighs In On Foley
Scandal - October 2, 2006 @ 12:44 pm
85.
relax everyone. you forget
IOKIYAR! (It's Ok If You're a Republican)
Comment by suzanne - October 2, 2006 @ 1:10 pm
86.
For the record I believe that Foley's behavior in all regards
was completely and utterly reprehensible and that there is no worse
crime than one committed against a child. That being said please
forgive me for playing devils advocate.
The age of consent in D.C. is 16.
The teens in question were not, if I am correct, currently
employed at the capitol when contacted by Foley.
So really any illegality is entirely dependant on the age of
consent law for the state the teens were in at the time.
This might be a case of sexual harassment if the conversations
were not welcomed by the teens; however, if it was not discouraged...
Exactly what is the bases for this being a crime aside from our
moral indignation? As a nation of varied faiths and moral backgrounds
we have to set laws that are best for the average, the whole, not by
one moral compass. While most people will surely be outraged at this
behavior is that enough for this to be a crime? Was someone deprived of
their rights or liberties because of his actions? Harm should be the
determining factor in a crime and exactly what harm has been done? So
perhaps the real crime isn't that he has a thing for teens but that
he may have abused the powers of office.
Personally I am outraged at the lies and deceit overall moreso
the other improprieties, although lies from a politician shouldn't be
a surprise anymore.
Comment by Devil's Advocate - October 2, 2006 @ 1:59 pm
87.
Now that we have lost all our Constitutional rights, I suppose
the administrartion will arrest Foley's victims rather than the
perpetrator. Each one of us might be on a "list". Even worse than
this cover up, is the fact that this Republican
Congress has passed bills that have undermined our entire
Democracy. The passage of the "torture/habeous corpus bill is nearly
the final straw. Anyone can be arrested on suspician of being a
terrorist and detained permanently, without trial. To worry about
Foley's sexual inappropriatness is a waste of time. There are many
more really important issues to consider. Do your homework and don't
get sidetracked (as we were by the Clinton scandal.) Big issues require
big responses.
Comment by janny j - October 2, 2006 @ 2:29 pm
88.
You all know if it had been any of us on the street..We'd be in
jail. Our family home burned to the ground and our wife and children
driven fomr the community!
It's amazing how many of these fat bastards run to rehab,
proclaiming god and repentance all the way, only to come back and
reclaim what wrongfully belonged to them int he first place.
He should be dragged kicking and screaming to JAil. Put him in a
cell with Tyrone and Bubba (two lonely inmates at out local Federal
Penn) and turn the lights out..He can take lots of pictures then!
Comment by Orion - October 2, 2006 @ 2:43 pm
89.
My students were interested by all of this, and noted that
Boehner is almost a local boy, plus that Ney and others of the GOP are
getting a good bit of heat, though for other reasons. Apparently Ohio
isn't the has-been that some think!
Comment by Steve McNew - October 2, 2006 @ 4:05 pm
90.
[...] Better still, they've known about this sort of behavior for
at least 10-11 months, if not several years. It's starting to sound
less and less like spin and damage control and more and more like a
coverup (timeline). [...]
Pingback by Akkam's Razor - October 2, 2006 @ 4:13 pm
91.
Moreover, since it was a gay incident, they were hesitant to
take more severe action, because they didn't want to be accused of
gay bashing. Upon being caught in a second offense, Foley immediately
resigned, knowing that he would have been dismissed by the Reps.
Comment by Jason+M.+Hendler - October 1, 2006 @ 9:22 am
Alright- just to clear this up, being "gay" has nothing to do
with being a pedophile. Just because his intended victims are male,
does not mean he's gay and off the reservation. As a former probation
officer that supervised sex offenders, i can tell you this is the most
common and dangerous misconception. There are many married guys that
are pedophiles and target children. He's a PEDOPHILE. Nothing to do
with being gay, and worrying about "gaybashing" versus tolerating
child predation.....it's just a smokescreen. Gay people are attracted
to age appropriate and consenting gays. This is total BS.
Comment by Chimpin'+Ain't+Easy.. - October 2, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
92.
Hey "For truth"
If Mark Foley didn't break any laws why did Denis Hasbert cover
it up just to win an election.
Tony Snow said that worse things go on on Capitol Hill. I think
Dateline ought to set up a house near the capitol and see just how many
pedophiles are in Congress.
Denis Hasbert classified those IM's & e mails as "overly
friendly"
I don't understand how the Republicans can say that pedophilia
is "just a pleasure of the flesh" How can anyone condone this sick
act. Mark Foley took a underage page to Hughes steak house, took him
cruising in his BMW convertible after the page got permission from his
mother and the overseer of the Congressional Pages.
Rep Hastert knew what knid of person Rep. Foley was. So did Rep.
Reynolds but they allowed him to perve that page in ways the kid is not
aware of.
Of all the places to worry about sending your kids, Capitol Hill
shouldn't be a place you should have to worry if they are going to be
safe.
Comment by Matt - October 2, 2006 @ 5:31 pm
93.
[...] House Speaker Dennis Hastert's home page was scrubbed
this morning, and no longer brags of the Congressman's fight to keep
children safe in cyberspace. Can't say that I blame him. Think
Progress also offers a timeline of the Foley scandal. posted by John at
6:28 pm [...]
Pingback by Sergeant John's 3-D Chiller House of Terror! =BB
Hastert Cuts and Runs From Child Safety - October 2, 2006 @ 6:26 pm
94.
[...] Of course, this is an election year, and we're nearly a
month away from Election Day, so the liberal media and their Democrat
lackeys are using this scandal as an opportunity to call for the
resignation of every Republican in Congress, all because a detailed
timeline of events indicates that high-ranking Republicans like Rep.
Shimkus were informed about ex-Rep. Foley's actions nearly a year
ago. Rep. Christopher Shays, who like his fellow Connecticutian Joe
Lieberman is a Republican in name only, has demanded that other
congressmen step down: Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) said any leader
who had been aware of Foley's behavior and failed to take action
should step down. "If they knew or should have known the extent of
this problem, they should not serve in leadership," he said over the
weekend. [...]
Pingback by Republican Social Theatre =BB Monday Morning Cover-Ups
- October 2, 2006 @ 8:21 pm
95.
Foley's actions, soliciting sex with minors, are crimes and
covering them up makes House Republican leaders part of the crimes.
Let the impeachments begin!
Comment by Gene Tinelli - October 2, 2006 @ 8:55 pm
96.
Who would have thought , last week, that we would have come to
this? What a World. One week man ! Jeez..
Comment by imnotarepuke - October 2, 2006 @ 11:23 pm
97.
GOP, doesn't that stand for Grand Old Pervert... or Predator?
Comment by sean - October 3, 2006 @ 1:52 am
98.
A parents most fear nightmare has happened again.
A person in power, a co-chair of the House Caucus on Missing and
Exploited Children, has taken advantage of an innocent child.
In theory, anything innocent can be corrupted.
There should be another memorial for Adam Walsh because of the
disrespect Foley has brought on his memory.
What is even worse is how the RNCC will go to lengths to keep ABC
from reporting news.
Comment by conrruption - October 3, 2006 @ 2:21 am
99.
The repo party is bringing itself down with continued conrruption
Comment by conrruption - October 3, 2006 @ 2:22 am
100.
Is it just me or is it a bit sad that after committing the
gravest of crimes against humanity (an aggressive war), indefinitely
incarcerating numerous people kidnapped for bounty payments, torturing
prisoners, running up the biggest deficit in history, raising the level
of pork-barrell politics to unprecedented levels, failing to come to
the aid of people suffering from a catastrophic disaster and generally
making the U.S. an international pariah that this government is in
danger of going down because of a paltry sex scandal?
If that is the only thing that excites the Republican "base"
and they are so numerous that this is the only way to unseat this
government that is a sad sad state of affairs on many levels.
Comment by DM - October 3, 2006 @ 2:36 am
101.
was watching scarborough country and pat buchanon in response to
scarborough saying something like "how do you think having a
pedaphile in the gop leadership will effect the election?"
Buchanon responded something like "pedaphile might be a little
strong, we're talking about a 16 year old, not a 9 year old."
Guess they have different standards of what constitutes
pedaphilia in conservative circles.
Comment by dan - October 3, 2006 @ 2:47 am
102.
the act was obscene, whether there was phsyical contact or not.
Gathering all the details the pattern for cover-up is apparent. As
observers we must not focus on the How as much as we must focus on the
WHY?
Why did the GOP hold a pedifile in it ranks for such a long time?
To hold on to their majority hold? How far up the ladder does this go?
Who knew about this and when will determine the level of deceit that
this adminstration has been hiding.
It is amazing that this information is coming out during the
winter recess after key legislation was pass. How very apporpriate.
Comment by geoff - October 3, 2006 @ 9:08 am
103.
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutley. Remember that the next time
someone tells you one party should control all three branches of our
government.
Most of us our Independents at heart wanting the good parts of
both Democrats and Republicans to show thru when they recieve the
majority. Isn't it amazing how the politicians screw it up every
time.
God Bless America.
It seems that he is the only one who cares.
Comment by James - October 3, 2006 @ 11:19 am
104.
Republican morality is about having a "clean" public face,
and being truly
shameful in private. Thats what they really mean by family
values. Sex isn't
shameful even rough nasty dirty sex. Whats shameful is true
exploitation
from a position of true power. Adult taking advantage of a child,
boss taking
advantage of an employee, etc.
Lets see more good olde fashioned consentual adult on adult sex,
and less
of this crap.
Comment by Naughty One - October 3, 2006 @ 12:15 pm
105.
Just intercepted message from the white house-
Attention all republicans we need a new fall guy to isolate top
staff on this
one. Now taking volunteers but if it comes to it we'll pick
names.
Comment by JustMe - October 3, 2006 @ 1:36 pm
106.
How long before these pages are named as freedom haters and
shipped off to Gitmo?
Comment by JustMe - October 3, 2006 @ 1:38 pm
107.
[...] Think Progress [...]
Pingback by The Bush Awareness Report =BB Blog Archive =BB
G-O-P...=3DGovernment of Pedophiles? - October 3, 2006 @ 5:42 pm
108.
[...] But then, Democrats began to have a very real chance of
winning the Congress and Foley all of a sudden had his toughtest
opponent yet, Democrat Tim Mahoney who was a former Republican and is a
multi-millionaire. Mahoney announced his candidacy October 12th, 2005,
right around the time the House leadership was trying to figure out
what to do about Foley's predatory practices. Without Foley on the
ticket, not only would the GOP suddenly face a competitive contest in a
relatively safe district, but it would cost them $2-3 million to
defend-money that they no longer have available. So they made a
decision. They were going to look the other way despite knowing about
Foley's predatory actions against the House's pages, and in return,
Foley would keep them one seat closer to the majority and save them
millions. [...]
Pingback by Rhode Island's Future =BB Dan Yorke defends Sex
Offender Cover-Up - October 3, 2006 @ 6:58 pm
109.
Hard-hitting coverage in the Speaker's hometown paper. :-/
"What we did is exactly what we had planned to do if there was
this type of situation," Hastert said. ...
Hastert noted that he was not informed about the e-mail because
he was more concerned at the time with making sure Hurricane Katrina
funding was going to the right places
Comment by Larry - October 4, 2006 @ 6:44 am
110.
People are talking about the age of consent, and as far a
legality thats important. Colorado has a law that says if the kid is
under 21 and you are more than 10 years his senior it's a crime
again. I don't know if DC has anything like that, but no one is
mentioning it. This was a sick man abusing power to advance his ends. I
have a 17 year old son and he could be misled by a mentor or someong in
authority. Its wrong if not illegal.
I saw a message supposedly sent while he was in session and
voting. It was encouraging a teenager to come to his house with a
friend to drink. That is wrong AND illegal... AND makes my skin crawl.
The leadership knew and were more concerned with keeping his seat
than raising any political stink by investigating. They didn't even
limit his participation in the page program. They were beyond
negligent. Their inaction is beyond comprehension.
LEADERS?
Comment by Doug+Fisichella - October 4, 2006 @ 11:35 am
111.
Whichever of you said this was "funny" needs to get yer
freakin' head examined. Just so you know pedophilia is not funny, it
destroys people's lives and make it impossible for some to live
"normal" ones.
In all your callous glee maybe you should think about all the
damaged people left behind by tragic events such as these.
Comment by BDUB - October 4, 2006 @ 2:49 pm
112.
I find it disturbing to know that a politician who was an
advocate for child protection from sexual predators is actually
involved in such a case. Even more disturbing is the fact that that he
was present at the signing of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and
Safety Act. People like this should not be in office and should be
required to seek professional help. The worse part of this is that he
didn't break any laws! Why aren't there laws to protect kids from
people like this????
Comment by parra - October 4, 2006 @ 3:16 pm
113.
How Low will Fox news go to protect the Republican Party. Check
out their latest picture of Mark Foley. He is listed as a democrat from
Florida. Is this what Fox News thinks of the intelegence of the
American people?
Comment by Guilford Robinson - October 4, 2006 @ 4:41 pm
114.
Th. October 5, 2006
At this afternoon's news conference outside his home in
Illinois, Speaker Haster, stated that he only found out about the Foley
email scandal on Friday 9/29.
Yet, your time line shows that Hastert, after first denying it,
admited that Rep. Tom Reynolds had alerted him on this matter in the
Spring:
SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 - Hastert admits he was told about the
emails by Reynolds in the spring. [Hastert Statement, 9/30/06]
So, Hastert either lied then, or is lying now. Would TIME
magazine please provide an unedited transcript of the Speaker's news
conference, including the Q & A segment on your web site.
Also, Richard Vigueri, who has also changed his tune, after
speaking to Hastert, says "He believes him, "because Hastert is an
honest man".
The facts are the facts. Honest! HA!! The man is a coward and a
scoundrel.
Danka,
A. F. Nariman
Comment by AFNariman - October 5, 2006 @ 6:59 pm
115.
It's obvious that our country is in serious trouble. This Foley
thing should be vigoriously investigated and anyone found to know of
Foley's actions and not taking action on the information, should be
arrested, charged and given their day in court. Foley should have
already been arrested and charged, just like the regular pedofiles they
catch on Dateline.
Furthermore, I think this "party" thing is a joke. Dem,
Repub... I don't see much difference. They say different things but
their actions say different. Why can't we be Americans first and do
our research on candidates, then vote for the person who is best for
the job?? If we don't wake up and become involved in one of our most
sacred rights, voting, we are giving away our say in government and
with that, our rights. Tell me this, if it was put on the ballott and
the people voted on it, would we still have prayer in our schools?
The people are the moral majority, not the republicans, not the
democrats, why are we letting judges legislate from the bench the
things we should be allowed to vote on? Notice I said "allowed". We
are not given a choice in the matter. It's up to the lawyers and a
judge, not the will of the people. If this infuriates you as it does
me, please, please, get involved in the voting process, research the
candidates, vote for the right person for the job. If Americans will do
this, I believe we can take back this country we all love so much.
Comment by Steven - October 6, 2006 @ 3:41 pm
116.
My one comment is this:
Why now??
This has been known since before 2001. This story could have hit
the friendly newstands before 9/11. Why did so many people sit on this
until now, and then
Why now??
Comment by Toeg - October 10, 2006 @ 11:19 pm
117.
[...] has been updated. Check it out HERE. Let us know if
there's something we missed. 2:57 pm | Comment (0) [...]
Pingback by Think Progress =BB Foley coverup timeline - October
11, 2006 @ 2:57 pm
118.
I understand that you dont want to get too far out, but some
reports indicate at least some warnings as early as 1995. I guess these
would qulalify as pre-"coverup" since there is no indication they
were brought to the attention of the House staff or any congressman.
Ex-page from S.D. was warned about Foley
Republican staffers had raised red flag in 1995
By Dana Wilkie
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
1995: Pages Were Warned About Foley. "In 1995, male House pages
were warned to steer clear of a freshman Republican from Florida, who
was already learning the names of the teenagers, dashing off notes,
letters and e-mails to them, and asking them to join him for ice cream,
according to a former page." [Washington Post, 10/4/06]
1996: Foley Suggested That He and An Intern Get Together at
Republican Convention. "Beck-Heyman, who was a Republican page and is
now a Democrat, said the attention was 'weird,' and he provided a
handwritten letter that Foley sent him after the page left
WashingtonCalifornia. The note suggested that they get together during
the Republican National Convention in San Diego in 1996." [Washington
Post, 10/4/06]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15132294/
1997: Tyson Vivyan was a congressional page from 1996 to 1997.
Now 26, he tells NBC News that he knew Fla. Rep. Mark Foley somewhat
during his brief Washington stay, but not well. It wasn't until after
he finished the congressional program and returned home to Tennessee,
he says, that Foley began reaching out to him. Vivyan says that he
began receiving instant messages in 1997 from someone with the moniker
"maf54," and that the messages were almost immediately sexual in
nature.
Vivyan says he soon deduced that the mystery writer was Foley,
and got the congressman to concede this online. Vivyan says he was 17
at the time, and not at all interested in a sexual relationship with
the much older Foley. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15132294/
Comment by Catch22 - October 11, 2006 @ 3:11 pm
119.
THOSE IN GLASS HOUSES......
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million
windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally
owned the property for three years, property deeds show.
In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale
in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and
took a financial stake in that company, according to records and
interviews.
The Nevada Democrat's deal was engineered by Jay Brown, a
longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major
political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime
investigations. He's never been charged with wrongdoing _ except for
a 1981 federal securities complaint that was settled out of court.
Land deeds obtained by The Associated Press during a review of
Reid's business dealings show:
_The deal began in 1998 when Reid bought undeveloped residential
property on Las Vegas' booming outskirts for about $400,000. Reid
bought one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with Brown. One of
the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land
swap that Reid supported. The seller never talked to Reid.
_In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited
liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn't disclose
the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any
stake in Brown's company. He continued to report to Congress that he
personally owned the land.
_After getting local officials to rezone the property for a
shopping center, Brown's company sold the land in 2004 to other
developers and Reid took $1.1 million of the proceeds, nearly tripling
the senator's investment. Reid reported it to Congress as a personal
land sale.
The complex dealings allowed Reid to transfer ownership, legal
liability and some tax consequences to Brown's company without public
knowledge, but still collect a seven-figure payoff nearly three years
later.
Reid hung up the phone when questioned about the deal during an
AP interview last week.
The senator's aides said no money changed hands in 2001 and
that Reid instead got an ownership stake in Brown's company equal to
the value of his land. Reid continued to pay taxes on the land and
didn't disclose the deal because he considered it a "technical
transfer," they said.
They also said they have no documents proving Reid's stake in
the company because it was an informal understanding between friends.
The 1998 purchase "was a normal business transaction at market
prices," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said. "There were several legal
steps associated with the investment during those years that did not
alter Senator Reid's actual ownership interest in the land."
Senate ethics rules require lawmakers to disclose on their annual
ethics report all transactions involving investment properties _
regardless of profit or loss _ and to report any ownership stake in
companies.
Kent Cooper, who oversaw government disclosure reports for
federal candidates for two decades in the Federal Election Commission,
said Reid's failure to report the 2001 sale and his ties to Brown's
company violated Senate rules.
"This is very, very clear," Cooper said. "Whether you make
a profit or a loss you've got to put that transaction down so the
public, voters, can see exactly what kind of money is moving to or from
a member of Congress."
"It is especially disconcerting when you have a member of the
leadership, of either party, not putting in the effort to make sure
this is a complete and accurate report," said Cooper. "That says
something to other members. It says something to the Ethics
Committee."
Other parts of the deal _ such as the informal handling of
property taxes _ raise questions about possible gifts or income
reportable to Congress and the IRS, ethics experts said.
Stanley Brand, former Democratic chief counsel of the House, said
Reid should have disclosed the 2001 sale and that his omission fits a
larger culture in Congress where lawmakers aren't following or
enforcing their own rules.
"It's like everything else we've seen in last two years. If
it is not enforced, people think it's not enforced and they get lax
and sloppy," Brand said.
SALE HIDDEN FROM CONGRESS
Reid and his wife, Landra, personally signed the deeds selling
their full interest in the property to Brown's company, Patrick Lane
LLC, for the same $400,000 they paid in 1998, records show.
Despite the sale, Reid continued to report on his public ethics
reports that he personally owned the land until it was sold again in
His disclosure forms to Congress do not mention an interest in Patrick
Lane or the company's role in the 2004 sale.
AP first learned of the transaction from a former Reid aide who
expressed concern the deal hadn't been properly reported.
Reid isn't listed anywhere on Patrick Lane's corporate
filings with Nevada, even though the land he sold accounted for
three-quarters of the company's assets. Brown is listed as the
company's manager. Reid's office said Nevada law didn't require
Reid to be mentioned in the filings.
"We have been friends for over 35 years. We didn't need a
written agreement between us," Brown said.
The informalities didn't stop there.
PROPERTY TAXES LOOSELY HANDLED
Brown sometimes paid a share of the local property taxes on the
lot Reid owned outright between 1998 and 2001, while Reid sometimes
paid more than his share of taxes on the second parcel they co-owned.
And the two men continued to pay the property taxes from their
personal checking accounts even after the land was sold to Patrick Lane
in 2001, records show.
Brown said Reid first approached him in 1997 about land purchases
and the two men considered the two lots a single investment.
"During the years of ownership, there may have been occasions
that he advanced the property taxes, or that I advanced the property
taxes," Brown said. "The bottom line is that between ourselves we
always settled up and each of us paid our respective percentages."
Ultimately, Reid paid about 74 percent of the property taxes,
slightly less than his actual 75.1 ownership stake, according to
canceled checks kept at the local assessor's office. One year, the
property tax payments were delinquent and resulted in a small penalty,
the records show.
Ethics experts said such informality raises questions about
whether any of Brown's tax payments amounted to a benefit for Reid.
"It might be a gift," Cooper said.
Brand said the IRS might view the handling of the land taxes as
undisclosed income to Reid but it was unlikely to prompt an
investigation. "If someone is paying a liability you owe, there may
be some income imputed. But at that level, it's pretty small
dollars," he said.
FEDERAL LAND SWAPS
Nevada land deeds show Reid and his wife first bought the
property in January 1998 in a proposed subdivision created partly with
federal lands transferred by the Interior Department to private
developers.
Reid's two lots were never owned by the government, but the
piece of land joining Reid's property to the street corner _ a key to
the shopping center deal _ came from the government in 1994.
One of the sellers was Fred Lessman, a vice president of land
acquisition at Perma-Bilt Homes.
Around the time of the 1998 sale, Lessman and his company were
completing a complicated federal land transfer that also involved an
Arizona-based developer named Del Webb Corp.
In the deal, Del Webb and Perma-Bilt purchased environmentally
sensitive lands in the Lake Tahoe area, transferred them to the
government and then got in exchange several pieces of valuable Las
Vegas land.
Lessman was personally involved, writing a March 1997 letter to
Interior lobbying for the deal. "This exchange has been through many
trials and tribulations ... we do not need to create any more stumbling
blocks," Lessman wrote.
For years, Reid also had been encouraging Interior to make land
swaps on behalf of Del Webb, where one of his former aides worked.
In 1994, Reid wrote a letter with other Nevada lawmakers on
behalf of Del Webb, and then met personally with a top federal land
official in Nevada. That official claimed in media reports he felt
pressured by the senator. Reid denied any pressure.
The next year, Reid collected $18,000 in political donations from
Del Webb's political action committee and employees. Del Webb's
efforts to get federal land dragged on.
In December 1996, Reid wrote a second letter on behalf of Del
Webb, urging Interior to answer the company's concerns. The deal came
together in summer and fall 1997, with Perma-Bilt joining in.
In January 1998 _ just days before he bought his land _ Reid
applauded the Lake Tahoe land transfers, saying they would create the
"gateway to paradise."
None of Reid's letters mentioned Perma-Bilt. Reid's office
said the senator never met Lessman nor discussed the Lake Tahoe land
transfer or his personal land purchase. A real estate attorney handled
the 1998 sale at arms-length, aides said.
"This land investment was completely unrelated to federal land
swaps that took place in the mid-1990's," Manley said.
Lessman said he never talked to Reid or asked for his help before
the 1998 land sale, and only met the senator years later at a public
event. "Any suggestion that the land sale between Senator Reid and
myself is somehow tied in with the Perma-Bilt exchange is completely
absurd," Lessman said.
THE REZONING
Clark County intended for the property Reid owned to be used
solely for new housing, records show. Just days before Reid sold the
parcels to Brown's company, Brown sought permission in May 2001 to
rezone the properties so a shopping center could be built.
Career zoning officials objected, saying the request was
"inconsistent" with Clark County's master development plan. The
town board in Spring Valley, where Reid's property was located, also
voted 4-1 to reject the rezoning.
Brown persisted. The Clark County zoning board followed by the
Clark County Commission voted to overrule the recommendation and
approve commercial zoning. Such votes were common at the time.
Before the approval in September 2001, Brown's consultant told
commissioners that Reid was involved. "Mr. Brown's partner is Harry
Reid, so I think we have people in this community who you can trust to
go forward and put a quality project before you," the consultant
testified.
With the rezoning granted, Patrick Lane pursued the shopping
center deal. On Jan. 20, 2004, the company sold the property to
developers for $1.6 million. Today, a multimillion dollar retail
complex sits on the land.
On Jan. 21, 2004, Reid received more than $1.1 million of the
sale proceeds. Reid disclosed the money the following year on his
Senate ethics report as a personal sale of land, not mentioning Patrick
Lane.
A BUSINESS PARTNER'S PAST
Brown has been a behind-the-scenes power broker in Nevada for
years, donating to Democrats, Republicans and charities. He represented
a major casino in legal cases and dabbled in Nevada's booming real
estate market.
Brown befriended Reid four decades ago, even before Reid served
as chairman of the Nevada gaming commission and decided cases involving
Brown's clients.
Brown's name has surfaced in federal investigations involving
organized crime, casinos and political bribery since the 1980s.
This past summer, federal prosecutors introduced testimony at the
bribery trial of former Clark County Commission chairman Dario Herrara
that Brown had taken money from a Las Vegas strip club owner to
influence the commission. Herrara was convicted of taking kickbacks.
Brown was never called as a witness.
Brown declined to discuss past cases where his name surfaced,
including Herrara. "The federal government investigated this whole
matter thoroughly, and there was never any implication of impropriety
on my part," he said.
Comment by Butteblack - October 11, 2006 @ 3:48 pm
120.
subpoena DeLay about what he knew... his "strong" ethics make
him suspect for sure...
Comment by Pete_Bogs - October 11, 2006 @ 3:50 pm
121.
The membership of the House Page Board belongs in this timeline.
Comment by Tom - October 11, 2006 @ 5:39 pm
122.
[...] The Foley Coverup Timeline [...]
Pingback by The Bush Awareness Report =BB Blog Archive =BB Are you
mad yet? - October 11, 2006 @ 5:43 pm
123.
You are missing two instances of Foley being turned away from the
pages' dorm, one in 2000 and 2003, I think.
Comment by cirrostratus - October 11, 2006 @ 6:46 pm
124.
Earlier this year four guys were arrested on
pedophilia/pornography charges:
http://www.itsyourtimes.com/?q=3Dnode/878
1. Brian Doyle,
http://www.cnn.com/ 2006/ LAW/ 04/ 05/ homeland.arrest/
index.html
2. Frank Figueroa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Figueroa
http://thinkprogress.org/ 2006/ 04/ 05/
more-child-sex-troubles-at-dhs/
3. Michael Burks
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000297.php
4. Charles Lynch of the DoD
http://thinkprogress.org/ 2006/ 04/ 07/ and-then-there-were-four/
http://www.gcn.com/ online/ vol1_no1/ 40341-1.html?CMP=3DOTC-RSS
Three worked for the Dept of Homeland Security. Figueroa was, at
one point, the head of Operation Predator, one of the agency's
anti-exploitation programs. Lynch was a fairly high ranking DoD
official and charges against him were dropped, though the investigation
continued.
I sure see a pattern here and it's a scary one. Are the people
and agencies charged with protecting the country's kids running some
kind of sex ring? Disgusts me that public money is being spent
essentially helping these folks pursue their illegal "hobbies".
You can bet plenty of people knew about this stuff and kept quiet
so as not to discredit the current administration.
Makes me wonder what other evil deeds are out there just waiting
to be uncovered.
You can bet there are some newly wealthy young men out there. I
wonder what it costs to buy the silence of a former page?
Comment by american dreamer - October 11, 2006 @ 7:10 pm
125.
Hastert is lying sleazy pig attempting to save his own ass.Bush,s
kind of scumbag,good cover man,crook and pervert.Hypocrite pretends to
be God fearing like all the far right Repuglicans that keep this
pervert in the House.
Comment by hobojo - October 12, 2006 @ 10:38 am
126.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2006/
10/ 10/ AR2006101001379.html
(Via Kos): One Democrat did have copies of the emails, but he or
she spent almost a year trying to get someone to pay attention to the
emails with little success until ABC News finally published them.
I think it's important to dispel the notion that the Dems held
back on this because it turns out that when someone tried to get
someone to listen to them, no one was interested in actually doing a
story on it:
"There was never a plan to undermine the GOP or to destroy
Hastert personally, as the speaker has vaingloriously suggested," Ken
Silverstein, Washington editor for Harper's, said on the magazine's
Web site yesterday. "I know this with absolute certainty because
Harper's was offered the story almost five months ago."
Silverstein said his source was a "Democratic operative," the
same source that had provided the e-mail exchanges to the St.
Petersburg Times in November 2005. Both the magazine and the paper
declined to publish a story. But the source "was not working in
concert with the national Democratic Party," Silverstein added.
"This person was genuinely disgusted by Foley's behavior, amazed
that other publications had declined to publish stories about the
emails, and concerned that Foley might still be seeking contact with
pages."
Comment by Bogus - October 12, 2006 @ 11:30 am
127.
I've heard it suggested that the page program itself should be
shut down. Let's get this straight, this thing which America is
foisting on the world, this "Democracy" which Bush proudly
promotes, is nonetheless a thing so debased at the highest levels that
we cannot expose our youth to its actual workings?
Comment by Ian - October 12, 2006 @ 11:44 am
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