Sex Scandal Turns Into A Cover-Up?

I dislike stories like this a bunch, but it's going to be big, big news. So, here's our one and only post on it. We'll update it and bring it back up to the top of the front page when conditions warrant. For now go read Joshua Marshall at TPM for the details of why the cover-up aspect is now the story, not just the sex stuff. All I can say is, "great timing for the Democrats. They needed a break and they seem to have caught one." Republicans don't want to talk about 'moral clarity' and 'family values' now I bet. ~spk

Foley To Resign Over Sexually Explicit Messages to Minors
Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer | Washington, DC | September 29

ABC - Saying he was "deeply sorry," Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned from Congress today, hours after ABC News questioned him about sexually explicit internet messages with current and former congressional pages under the age of 18.

A spokesman for Foley, the chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, said the congressman submitted his resignation in a letter late this afternoon to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. Hours earlier, ABC News had read excerpts of instant messages provided by former male pages who said the congressman, under the AOL Instant Messenger screen name Maf54, made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 10:32pm

printer friendly version |

( categories: News | USA: Campaign 2006 | USA: Congress: House )

Ahh, a stroll down memory lane.

Crooks and Liars:

Good Bye Jim West

“Mayor James E. West was recalled from office Tuesday in a special election over allegations he offered jobs and perks to young men he met in a gay Internet chat room. West, 54, became the city’s first elected chief executive to be ousted before his term expired…read on“

So - what is it with Republicans and child molestation, anyway? My God, the list just goes on and on.

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 3:51pm

They are

going to rename the party "Repudlicans."

mauberly September 29, 2006 - 6:53pm

Where will

the Log Cabin guys lay theirs?

mauberly September 29, 2006 - 6:55pm

Another stroll down memory lane:

Xlink - Homeland Security 'Rises' To The Occasion ~ Again - April 5, 2006

Not one, not two, but three Homeland Security Department officials accused of 'child sex trolling.'

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 4:08pm

so......

wonder when we'll see an O-Reilly or Hannity segment on "Republicans, serial child molesters and payola recipients?"

yeah, I know.....*way* too much to ask.... I'm hoping for more or similar news for the 'October Surprise'....one that is *on* the republicans, as opposed to *by* the Republicans.....

-5.75,-4.05 "I am in earnest; I will not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will not retreat a single inch; and I will be heard."
William Lloyd Garrison
US abolitionist & editor (1805 - 1879)

justadood September 29, 2006 - 5:37pm

I have hopes

that this is precisely what Harry Reid has in mind, because it's what I would do - not just one October Surprise, but a string of rotating ones. If it were me, I'd be holding fire until I saw the whites of their eyes - the Machine has very slow reactions, and I'd take advantage of that starting about five weeks out by giving them a different two-by-four across the bridge of the nose to react to twice a week, saving the worst and most embarrassing until the end.

They know what's at stake.

Quote of the week (hattip dKos):

St. Petersburg Times, published September 12, 1998

Republicans were aghast at Clinton's behavior, with many saying it showed he had lied and abused his power.
"It's vile," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach. "It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."

Magnificent. Tonight's "Profiles In Rank Hypocrisy" stars the GOP's selection for chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 5:52pm

Let's billmon his earlier comments

MSNBC

Foley, as chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, had introduced legislation in July to protect children from exploitation by adults over the Internet. He also sponsored other legislation designed to protect minors from abuse and neglect.

"We track library books better than we do sexual predators," Foley has said.

pembeci September 29, 2006 - 7:45pm

Ah, those Jimmy Swaggert moments...

God, I love them so.......

Doug Richardson September 30, 2006 - 11:25am

ABC - The Blotter

Exclusive: The Sexually Explicit Internet Messages That Led to Fla. Rep. Foley's Resignation

September 29, 2006 5:59 PM
Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz & Maddy Sauer Report:

Florida Rep. Mark Foley's resignation came just hours after ABC News questioned the congressman about a series of sexually explicit instant messages involving congressional pages, high school students who are under 18 years of age.

In Congress, Rep. Foley (R-FL) was part of the Republican leadership and the chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children.

He crusaded for tough laws against those who used the Internet for sexual exploitation of children.

"They're sick people; they need mental health counseling," Foley said.

But, according to several former congressional pages, the congressman used the Internet to engage in sexually explicit exchanges.

They say he used the screen name Maf54 on these messages provided to ABC News.

Maf54: You in your boxers, too?
Teen: Nope, just got home. I had a college interview that went late.
Maf54: Well, strip down and get relaxed.

Another message:

Maf54: What ya wearing?
Teen: tshirt and shorts
Maf54: Love to slip them off of you.

And this one:

Maf54: Do I make you a little horny?
Teen: A little.
Maf54: Cool.

The language gets much more graphic, too graphic to be broadcast, and at one point the congressman appears to be describing Internet sex.

Federal authorities say such messages could result in Foley's prosecution, under some of the same laws he helped to enact.

(...)

link

(ewww - and sorry for posting this, but I thought it was important to understand that this was over more than those relatively benign "can you send me a pic" emails - ES)

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 6:25pm

more ewww

AMERICAblog has the rest of the IM session and also brings an other important angle to the story: "House GOP Leadership knew about Foley almost a year ago, let Foley remain in House leadership, let him remain as chair of House sex offender caucus".

pembeci September 29, 2006 - 8:13pm

If they can make that stick - OUCH.

That's going to leave a mark.

GOP = "Gang Of Pedophiles"?

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 8:32pm

He was in charge of WHAT?????????

My good god, how far into the bottomless pit of perversion can a political party get than to put a sexual predator in charge of "Missing and Exploited Children?"

Talk about 'The Church of the Big 180'...When I coined that phrase, I never realized how horribly true it would turn out to be. These Republicans are wallowing in a pig sty of stinking moral inversions.

How many more monsters has the GOP put in charge of children's issues? Can America survive if we do not purge this Republican cesspool of corruption and vice?

"Death before being dishonored any more." - Col. Ted Westhusing

Jimbo92107 September 29, 2006 - 10:12pm

"...Heckuva job, Foley"

- EOM

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 10:50pm

As ES said....

and I whole-heartedly agree--let this one stew in the slow-cooker....let more be dug up, up to Vote day, and let's see how many good whacks we can get in before then.

Rove has his 'October Surprise' now....and it's not his.

heh, heh, heh.....I'm hoisting one for this news....it doesn't quite counter-balance the Torture Bill, but it does bring some sense of satisfaction.

Now to watch the Mighty Wurlitzer kick into gear: It's not illegal if *we* do it....you little people just shaddup and suck down the pablum we're serving, and we'll continue making your decisions for you...

-5.75,-4.05 "I am in earnest; I will not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will not retreat a single inch; and I will be heard."
William Lloyd Garrison
US abolitionist & editor (1805 - 1879)

justadood September 29, 2006 - 10:18pm

What I find interesting is

What I find interesting is that the Republican party clearly has more gay elected members than the Dems. Amazing how the closet will screw you up.

Ian Welsh September 29, 2006 - 10:42pm

Ahhh...

All I can say is, "great timing for the Democrats. They needed a break and they seem to have caught one." Republicans don't want to talk about 'moral clarity' and 'family values' now I bet. ~spk

For all of those that think the Dems can't play hardball - this is pretty interesting timing, neh?

Maybe someone wants to bet it's a coincidence.

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 10:49pm

I want to nip something in the bud here.

This is not about homosexuality - "out" or closeted.

We're progressives - it is the GOP that is the party of repression of sexuality, the party that says "you can't feel that or do that because it's dirty", and whose repression of normal sexual inclinations inevitably results in it forcing its way out through covert and twisted paths.

No, this is not about normal, healthy sexuality - gay or straight - between consenting adults. This is about predation, plain and simple. This is about sexual victimization of people too young to give their informed consent.

The prurient interest of it being a same-sex scandal will give it miles of political legs, but I have no interest in stressing the Gay Republicans thing.

Escher Sketch September 29, 2006 - 11:08pm

I've never been much for the

I've never been much for the infantilization of 16 and 17 year olds. The guy is a predator and a creep and deserves to be shamed and run out of office (not least because he himself wrote the laws that makes his behaviour illegal) but as a rule, I don't get too worked up over teenagers in that age bracket. Creepy, predatory, not my thing, but eh.

Ian Welsh September 29, 2006 - 11:24pm

I think that one has to keep

in mind that not all 16 & 17 are created equally. Personally I wonder why the kids' parents didn't appear to think this event was very important.

In these times you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you awake in the morning. ~ Carl Sandburg

Tina September 30, 2006 - 3:39am

Dirty Old White Men

The drive for parents letting their children become Pages and Interns in D.C. is part of the drive to get their children into an Ivy League school. It’s all about connections. Parents willingly send of their offspring into the paws of Perverted Old White Men in Washington D.C. AKA Congressmen, in the hopes that those connections will pay off.

I am not saying that all experiences in D.C. are negative; some people do learn how government works…………become a lobbyist with a big corporate customer.

Oh, there are over 2100 miles of border and Congress wants to put up 700 miles of fence. What about the remaining 1400 miles? The name of the bill should have been Maginot Fence. I have yet to find a fence that I can’t climb. Oh boy, the drive by congress in an election year to stop those pesky invaders leaving a corrupt third world country, just to come in the U.S.A. and be declared an Alien subject to torture under the new King George laws that he will sign into law this weekend.

I will eagerly wait for the headlines in a year or two that read “Illegal Aliens Caught Working On Homeland Defense Fence in El Paso Texas” with a subtext leader of “ Subcontractors to Halliburton face charges of smuggling Illegal Aliens to help build fence. Dick Cheney CEO of Halliburton said that Halliburton has no control of subcontractor hiring and recruiting practices.”

"Takes a bucket of blood for a barrel of oil"

Steven Bruton

Peter C September 30, 2006 - 9:01am

The age thing

This scandal is going to hurt gays whether they're republican, democrat, or apolitical. Most of the pages are probably 18 since they're seniors in high school. This case is an exception because the page is 16, but if you read the content of the IM's, they're not just messaging, they're on the web cam. I'd think Foley was a letch if it was someone older or of the opposite sex. No one forces someone to IM or turn on a web cam. We have 16 as the age of consent for most states, some set it younger, and Federal law sets it at 18, in Texas it's 17. The main focus of a 16 year old boy is on sex, his hormones control that. In a perfect world, we'd prefer their interests be directed to those of a similar age, but even if they aren't getting it they'll be thinking about it and doing their best to get it. Even a willing teen will have guilt later in life because of their own actions. Maybe science can give us some answers, but at some age part of the responsibility has to fall on the teen.

Predators perpetuate their kind. If you're molested, you're likely to molest. If a teen has already been sexually active for several years, such as an active 18 year old, I don't think it fits the pattern. If he turned on his web cam and showed his goods, it is like the excuse "I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing".

As an uncle and not a parent, I've stumbled upon my nieces and nephews at unpleasant moments. I kept my mouth shut, reminded them they knew right from wrong, cautioned them to use protection and to only get involved with those near their age. An adult will face some time in jail, I assume even in Foley's case, but who can tell these days. Teens have to be responsible, too. Foley didn't just find their screen name and start messaging them. I regularly remove or block users from my contact list when I realize I've made a mistake giving mine out. For a year or so, I've left the messenger turned off most of the time.

A sixteen year old living in a dorm as a congressional page is beyond parental influence or control. Foley is still a dirtbag.

Phil October 2, 2006 - 11:44am

They were on webcams?

Now I could puke.

In these times you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you awake in the morning. ~ Carl Sandburg

Tina October 2, 2006 - 11:56am

hey

if stupidity was painful, I'd be in a world of hurt. I take from the context of the transcripts that at sometimes they could see each other and other times they couldn't. It was never said that web cams were used. That's just how I took it. My guess and just my guess, if this has gone on for several years is there was some physical contact in some cases, too. My twisted logic says if I imagine the worst and find out I'm wrong, I'll feel better about it. Sorry!

Phil October 2, 2006 - 1:10pm

Dark side of life

My understanding is that the news stories didn't tell enough of the background. But I think that the 16 year old was not 'in the game' and was not interested. Actually I don't understand why Foley sent the emails to him - background information is missing. I don't think they use web cams in office. Obviously the page knew that the emails were not completely innocent. Probably he had heard rumours.

Mother Nature is cruel and Father Darwin is perverted.

The boys and girls (like Monica Lewinsky) attracted to older persons are just results of darwinism. They are not attracted by age, they are attracted by maximazing the social status and wealth to their offsprings. In this strategy it makes sense to the parents to sell their sexually mature offsprings to the one who offers the best price.

Being young and choosing somebody near own age picks the latest survived genes chosen by Father Darwin and provides the maximum parental life expectancy to the offsprings.

Have you ever thought what you are optimizing in the bed? :-)

I earlier posted a story about the teacher (woman) who had sex with an underage (14?) year old boy. The reactions were: "Lucky bastard!", referring to the boy. I'm down to earth and see the subjectivity of all this.

It is slightly lottery where the legislation sets the age of consent. Anyway, it is supposed to be somewhere, in west. A society which denies the sex outside a marriage and in which the parents arrange the marriage doesn't need an age of consent.

I assume the western society has more and more mental difficulties in dealing with teenagers. (Yet another definition: physically capable to have children but mentally unable to raise them.) It demonstrates in blurring the borders of childhoold, teenage and adulthood. To increase your confusion, the concept of childhood is a few hundred years old.

In Turkey a man who doesn't marry is expected to live until he is 50 years old with his parents. There they are slightly further in extended childhood than America.

-- Happy fishing in ocean of noise!

Gandalf October 2, 2006 - 3:28pm

I am not sure if you are saying this or not

but pedophilia is not the same thing as homosexuality even if it is same sex. Virtually no pedophiles are interested in same sex relations with adults. Many people don't get this.

Mark October 2, 2006 - 9:42pm

Maybe I parsed that incorrectly,

but what I was trying to convey is similar to what you just expressed.

Escher Sketch October 2, 2006 - 10:41pm

Rotten to the core

Democrats, while in power where definitely no angels,they controlled both houses for quite awhile, but, never ever did they stoop as low as the repugnant repubilcans, and further more the dem never used the cover of 'christianity' or 'Gott Mit Uns' to do their so called evil deeds.
the repubilcans are definetely the worst bunch of conniving hypocrits on the face of the earth.

Jelco Cathlon September 29, 2006 - 11:22pm

I'll just let Josh Marshall tell you.

(September 29, 2006 -- 11:21 PM EDT)

Blockbuster story out from Roll Call (sub.req.)

Chairman of the House Page Board, Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) interviewed Foley last year about some of the contacts with the page. The House clerk, who is also a member of the Board, was also present. Speaker Hastert's office was informed of the interview, but according to GOP leadership sources who spoke to Roll Call, Hastert himself was not informed.

Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), the only Democrat on the Board, was not informed of the interview, according to Roll Call.

Rep. Shimkus released the following statement ...

“As chairman of the bipartisan House Page Board in late 2005, I was notified by the then Clerk of the House, who manages the Page Program, that he had been told by Congressman Rodney Alexander about an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House Page. I took immediate action to investigate the matter.
“In that email exchange, Congressman Foley asked about the former Page’s well-being after Hurricane Katrina and requested a photograph. When asked about the email exchange, Congressman Foley said he expressed concern about the Page’s well-being and wanted a photo to see that the former Page was alright.

“Congressman Foley told the Clerk and me that he was simply acting as a mentor to this former House Page and that nothing inappropriate had occurred. Nevertheless, we ordered Congressman Foley to cease all contact with this former House Page to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. We also advised him to be especially mindful of his conduct with respect to current and former House Pages, and he assured us he would do so. I received no subsequent complaints about his behavior nor was I ever made aware of any additional emails.

“It has become clear to me today, based on information I only now have learned, that Congressman Foley was not honest about his conduct.

(...)

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 12:03am

Josh Marshall again -

Majority Leader Boehner hangs Hastert out to dry ...

House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of some "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), and that Hastert assured him "we're taking care of it."
It was not immediately clear what actions Hastert took. His spokesman had said earlier that the speaker did not know of the sexually charged e-mails between Foley and the boy.

link

(Josh is all over this one - Mr. Up-'Til-Midnight-Posting himself. Go on over to TPM and show him some love. But... not too much love - ES)

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 12:11am

Probably everyone saw this right away,

but just to be completely explicit -

Shimkus dodged reporters for two hours today and got with Hastert to figure how to spin this. He came out with a statement saying Hastert's office was notified - but not Hastert.

And then out comes Boehnert saying "he told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), and that Hastert assured him 'we're taking care of it'".

I think Denny might be toast.

This is why you have to hit them hard and fast. They do not think well on their feet and their first instinct is to lie; exploit this with sudden revelations and then interview them separately before they've had time to coordinate stories. Twice a week. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 12:50am

And now - (hattip dKos)

the WaPo article has been amended to the following -

...House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of inappropriate "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he then told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Boehner later contacted The Post and said he could not remember whether he talked to Hastert.

It was not immediately clear what actions Hastert took. His spokesman had said earlier that the speaker did not know of the sexually charged online exchanges between Foley and the boy.

Although he remembered pretty specifically what he said the first time he was asked. Wonder what kind of conversations went on about that in between?

link

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 3:06am

You always have to keep these guys on defense.

They really suck at it.

Here's a freeper on the topic today:

It appears the leadership has been to be blunt lying the past day. First Boehner says he tells Hastert, than he says he didn't, than he says he did but in the spring. First Hastert didn't know, then he knew in the spring. Now Reynolds is saying that he told Hastert when it broke 11 months ago. This is a circular firing squad. I have one bit of advice. Just tell the damned truth. It won't be as bad as this nonsense.

"Circular firing squad". Very apt.

Their screams - my music.

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 5:31pm

I just went over to FreeRepublic.

There is one thread - sidebarred - as right-wingers are uninterested in this story.

Actually, I'm kidding. There is one thread - sidebarred - but it is only the administrators of FreeRepublic that are not interested. The thread itself has over a thousand comments at this time, and so many heads are exploding that it looks like a scene from Cronenburg's Scanners.

Some of them are stressing "innocent until proven guilty" and "don't deprive him of due process". I'm touched, and I'd love to get their support against torture too.

This makes me furious!

With all the support we give them, I think the least we should be able to expect is for them to not keep a pervert POS around allowing us to be sandbagged and screw up an election.

When they knew he was a problem, he should have been gone IMMEDIATELY. If it happened to be just before an election, so be it. But to allow this to hang out there to bite us later, is just unspeakable.

I want everyone who knew to resign in disgrace tomorrow. I don't care if we lose the whole damn thing.

I think that the way this is going to break wide open (because the Democrats are already demanding an investigation into how long they knew and what they did) we probably will lose the House.

we probably will lose the House.
If they sheltered this guy....they should.

There are some things you can look the other way on....but not this.

Link - if you dare.

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 2:01am

I don't care to follow the link,

because I just showered after working in our yard.

What gets me, and reminds me that once you wave away all the hotair rhetoric that we're not all so very different, is that Dems' heads are exploding over the Reps and Senators that voted for torture, and the Righties' are exploding over the amoral and cynical exploits of their rotten apples.

Can't we please just throw everybody out of office and start over? With checkoff campaign funding only? With the lobbyists mvoed out of town, preferably to East Bicycle Pump KS? (Sorry to any Kansans here - maybe Alaska would be better?)

- Rick
_{We here highly resolve that government of the people, by the wealthy, for the wealthy, shall perish from the earth.}

Rick September 30, 2006 - 4:06pm

You might be surprised.

I've been following the thread closely. There are idiots, naturally, but there are those who are stubbornly and lucidly standing their ground - and unconditionally condemning this. One pungent stream argues "we need to root this out or we deserve to lose control of the House; protecting child predators is not an acceptable price tag for victory". I may not agree with that person on a lot of things, but there's a commonality and a basis for the commencement of dialogue.

I say this because if Dems do recapture the government, you are going to have to tread a line between purging the worst, and re-establishing collegiality - in short, healing the divisions that are tormenting America. This is going to require something far more difficult and progressive than simple "de-Baathification". This is going to require building Americans again out of partisan Republicans and Dems. You're going to have to reach out to those Republicans that are willing to be reached; they won't be expecting that response.

Naturally you can't do that until you're in power; it's the overt and openly stated policy of the the current ruling party to exploit the complete opposite. You'll have to kick their teeth in first. But when you're in power you have to do better than they did; America's future requires Dems transcend the urge to punish everyone that ever crossed them, even when they have the full power to do so.

Stage one - knock their teeth down their throat with utter vicious ruthlessness. Stage two - in victory, magnanimity. Don't give them power, give them input - and listen to it.

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 5:34pm

Yeppir, that's what I want to see. [eom]

- Rick
_{We here highly resolve that government of the people, by the wealthy, for the wealthy, shall perish from the earth.}

Rick September 30, 2006 - 5:40pm

I think I could put it more succinctly:

Our real enemies are not who we are told they are; our real enemies are the people doing the telling.

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 6:00pm

This was kinda cute, too.

I don't think there is a similar list of Democrats.
http://www.armchairsubversive.com/
Rick Santorum's Republican Child Molesters

Phil October 2, 2006 - 9:21pm

From Josh:

(September 30, 2006 -- 07:03 PM EDT)

Breaking: Hastert's office releases statement on Speaker's office's "internal review" ...

INTERNAL REVIEW OF CONTACTS WITH THE OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER REGARDING THE CONGRESSMAN MARK FOLEY MATTER
On Friday, September 29, the Speaker directed his Chief of Staff and Outside Counsel to conduct an internal review to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding contact with the Office of the Speaker regarding the Congressman Mark Foley matter. The following is their preliminary report.

Email Exchange Between Congressman Foley and a Constituent of Congressman Alexander

In the fall of 2005 Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the Speaker'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. He did not reveal the specific text of the email but expressed that he and Congressman Alexander were concerned about it...

(...)

link

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 7:00pm

More Josh Marshall:

(September 30, 2006 -- 07:33 PM EDT)

Another press release ...

News from Congressman Dale E. Kildee Contact: Christopher Mansour, Chief of Staff for Congressman Kildee
Congressman Dale Kildee (D-MI), the Democratic Member of the House Page Board, released the following statement today:

"As the Democratic Member of the House Page Board, any statement by Mr. Reynolds or anyone else that the House Page Board ever investigated Mr. Foley is completely untrue.

"I was never informed of the allegations about Mr. Foley's inappropriate communications with a House Page and I was never involved in any inquiry into this matter.

"The first and only meeting of the House Page Board on this matter occurred on Friday, September 29 at approximately 6 p.m., after the allegations about Mr. Foley had become public."

link

Escher Sketch September 30, 2006 - 7:03pm

Well ..

Excerpt from an email: how old are you now?

Foley was on the right track.

I didn't fully comprehend what happened. Did Foley meet the pages at his work?

-- Happy fishing in ocean of noise!

Gandalf September 30, 2006 - 11:36pm

Like I said -

they don't think well on their feet.

Watch the birdie:

Hastert's statement:

The Clerk asked to see the text of the email. Congressman Alexander's office declined citing the fact that the family wished to maintain as much privacy as possible and simply wanted the contact to stop. The Clerk asked if the email exchange was of a sexual nature and was assured it was not. Congressman Alexander's Chief of Staff characterized the email exchange as over-friendly.

The Clerk then contacted Congressman Shimkus, the Chairman of the Page Board to request an immediate meeting. It appears he also notified Van Der Meid that he had received the complaint and was taking action. This is entirely consistent with what he would normally expect to occur as he was the Speaker's Office liaison with the Clerk's Office.

The Clerk and Congressman Shimkus met and then immediately met with Foley to discuss the matter. They asked Foley about the email. Congressman Shimkus and the Clerk made it clear that to avoid even the appearance of impropriety and at the request of the parents, Congressman Foley was to immediately cease any communication with the young man.

And Shimkus' interview the same day:

Last year, the House clerk grabbed Rep. John Shimkus off the floor during a vote and said they needed to talk.

It wasn’t unusual for the clerk at that time, Jeff Trandahl, to catch Shimkus, in the hallway or on the House floor, since together they oversaw the House page program and often had items to discuss.

This time, though, Trandahl had in his hand an email exchange between one of the House pages, a 16-year-old boy, and Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla.

Shimkus, who serves as board chairman for the House page program, read the emails, in which Foley asked about the boy’s well-being in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, what he wanted for his birthday, and for a photograph. (The boy was from Louisiana and had returned to his home state.)

Although there was nothing sexually suggestive in the emails, Shimkus and Trandal agreed: "That was enough for us to approach Mark," Shimkus recalled an interview Saturday.

Spot a little oopsie in there?

Josh Marshall spotted that pretty quickly.

Looks like Hastert's statement just became a boat anchor.

Escher Sketch October 1, 2006 - 12:27am

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Sex Scandal Turns Into A Cover-Up?

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