CREW Calls For House To Appoint Outside Counsel To Investigate Foley

[cal04]

CREW Calls For House To Appoint Outside Counsel To Investigate Foley Page Scandal

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today called upon the House of Representatives to appoint an outside counsel to investigate the House leadership's role in covering up Rep. Mark Foley's (R-FL) inappropriate email exchanges with a sixteen-year-old former House page.

Several members of the Republican leadership have now admitted to knowing for nearly a year that Rep. Foley engaged in email exchanges with a sixteen-year-old former House page. These members, including Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Reps. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), John Shimkus (R-IL) and Tom Reynolds (R-NY) have all claimed that they failed to take action because the boy's parents did not want to pursue the matter. The decision not to investigate further left other House pages unprotected and vulnerable to a potential sexual predator.

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's (R-IL) decision to have Rep. Shimkus review the page system is particularly ludicrous, given that it was Rep. Shimkus who, despite having been made aware that the boy and his parents were concerned about Rep. Foley's emails, readily accepted Rep. Foley's explanation that he was merely mentoring the boy. Rep. Shimkus is the chairman of the House page board.


(snip)
Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director, said today, "It is horrifying to learn that some members of Congress were more concerned with covering up a potentially embarrassing situation than with protecting the teenage pages." Sloan continued, "the American people, and particularly the parents of other pages, have a right to know if congressional leaders put politics above the safety of children."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=73542

[uppityperson]

1. If a 16 yr old's parents say "drop it", does that make it legal?

If a domestic violence victim says "drop it", they still, now, most places, go after the perpetrator.

[rocktivity]

2. And WHY would the parent say to drop it?

Surely the fear of publicity wouldn't stop a parent for looking out for the welfare of their child? Has there been some intimidation here? A payoff?

:headbang:
rocknation

[uppityperson]

5. embarassment?

Like some people who get raped or robbed or even in a car accident want to drop it, to have it all go away and be like it was before. Not saying this is right, but it happens. Could also be intimidation or a payoff.

[NOLADEM]

11. Embarrassment indeed

Did you read the chat logs? The child was pretty participatory, saying sexually explicit stuff.

Very embarrassing to the child and family. There is no sexual assault alleged, so the harm to the child was probably limited, so they decided the cost to go public with this would have been great. Plus, he is a Republican, and their son was a page for a Louisiana Republican, so the family is undoubtedly a Republican contributor/booster.

There was no benefit to the family available by going public. Maybe Foley pulled a few strings to help the family on some unnamed matters, who knows.

[kestrel91316]

13. I vote blind, rabid Christofascism. They don't CARE about their son.

They care about THEIR PARTY. They care about their own continuing power and money.

[ShortnFiery]

3. Right and CREW also posted Sexually Explicit IMs to ANOTHER

underage male pledge during 2003!

This is a pattern, an obsession with Foley. :(

[Joanne98]

9. Maybe there's more. Is anybody looking?

[MADem]

4. No, it doesn't make it legal. If your kid is raped, you don't have an

option of declining prosecution. A crime was committed (solicitation of a minor over these here internets) and the GOP legislators in Washington COVERED IT UP.

And the perp stood behind the Monkey as he signed anti-mess with kids legislation! The IRONY!

[kestrel91316]

12. A parent that says "drop it" in these circumstances is just about as bad

and just about as much of a CRIMINAL as the perpetrator.

You don't allow abuse of your child to go unaddressed. That's just WRONG. I'm not even a parent and I have this much common sense.

They sold their son down the road to protect their fascist overlords.

[uppityperson]

16. Indeed.

[leQ]

6. one can only hope this blows up in their faces bigtime (nt)

[Robbien]

7. What power does this call for an outside investigation have?

CREW (a great organization IMHO) releases a news release calling for a House outside counsel. Great. Good idea.

But what does that mean. Does anyone in Congress have to respond to the request? Do they even know the request is out there?

[partylessinOhio]

8. The page himself didn't drop it for he released the emails and the chat

logs that ABC published. The entire matter needs to be investigated for no one knows what the parents really said or did.

Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) is another crook bringing disgrace to Ohio. With his patent leather hair and fake-tan I have to wonder if he and the others who kept this secret could also be involved in similar activities.

I want to see a special prosecutor appointed pronto.

[aquart]

10. We don't need all that. We have torture.

I assure you, all these lengthy, expensive investigations can be dispensed with now. A few sessions with an accomplished torturer...someone who got all A's at the School of the Americas....and we'll know all there is to know about the sex lives of Republican congressmen.

We don't need evidence. We have torture.

[kestrel91316]

14. Hey, works for me. Waterboard every last one of the Repukes in

Congress. Oh, and hook up electrodes to their genitals, too.

Wait. That one might not be considered punishment.

[daleo]

15. Perhaps they should be charged with aiding and abbetting?

It seems to me that most citizens would be in a heap of trouble if they knew about an internet predator, but didn't inform the police.