House Speaker Hastert KNEW for 3 YEARS, but...

EVEN THOUGH House Speaker Dennis Hastert [R] (The "Number Three Man" in-line for "Presidential succession") has been recently exposed as "Knowing" of the "Capital Hill Page Sex Scandal" involving House Representative Mark Foley [R] (of Florida) for THREE YEARS but "Covering-up" the issue:

"CHICAGO – On Oct. 12th, 2006 President Bush stood shoulder-to-shoulder with embattled House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Thursday, offering a powerful boost in his moment of need and declaring the country "better off with Hastert in power. "

Are we TRUELY "Better off" with a National Leader that COVERS-UP and thereby enables a CRIME (...ESPECIALLY one as SERIOUS as "CHILD PEDOPHILE"...) to continue as "go-on" and UNCHECKED for the unforeseeable future (...had it not "Leaked" to the attention of the American Public)???

READ the "FOLEY E-MAILS at the following link:

The E-mails: Foley is screen-named = "Maf54" (Mark A. Foley-54)

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=1

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=2

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=3

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=4

...The bottom of "Page 5" is where the FUN STARTS! (Next)...

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=5

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=6

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=7

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=8

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/BrianRoss/story?id=2509586&page=9

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THE FOLEY SCANDAL TIMELINE:

http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/pressclip.php?view=3457

As the timeline below indicates, House Republicans Denny Hastert, John Boehner and Tom Reynolds are having some problems getting their stories straight when it comes to who knew what when about former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida. But one point they all seem to agree on is that only a single member of Congress actually read the text of the smoking e-mail.

2003
Foley has a sexually explicit instant message exchange with a former page. Using the screen name "Maf54," Foley and the page discuss masturbation. (Source: ABC News, 9/29/06.)

Fall 2005
An e-mail exchange between Foley and a male page of Louisiana Republican Rep. Rodney Alexander is sexually suggestive but not as explicit as the instant messages. Some observers now say the banter reflects the kinds of tools a sexual predator might employ to engage a victim and should have set off alarms when discovered later. Foley asks how old the boy is and what he wants for his birthday and asks the boy to e-mail a "pic" of himself. (Source: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.)

Date unknown, "Fall" 2005
At some point Alexander's chief of staff calls Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., according to a news release from Hastert's office, and says that Alexander "had," meaning possessed the text of, an e-mail exchange between Foley and a former House page. Kennedy "did not reveal the specific text of the email but expressed that he and Congressman Alexander were concerned about it." The release does not give a specific date, or even a month, and does not identify Alexander's chief of staff. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Date unknown, "Fall" 2005
Kennedy "immediately" went to his boss, Hastert deputy chief of staff Mike Stokke. Stokke tells Kennedy to contact the speaker's in-house counsel, Ted Van Der Meid. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Date unknown, "Fall" 2005
Van Der Meid tells Kennedy to contact the clerk of the House, who is the House officer responsible for the page program. Later this same day, Stokke meets with Alexander's chief of staff. "Once again the specific content of the email was not discussed," at that meeting. Apparently the same day, Stokke called the clerk to come to the speaker's office to meet with Alexander's chief of staff. Instead, the clerk and Alexander's chief of staff went to the clerk's office to discuss the matter. The clerk asked to see the e-mail. Alexander's "office" declined, citing privacy. "The clerk asked if the email exchange was of a sexual nature and was assured it was not." Instead, Alexander's chief of staff called the exchange "over-friendly." Hastert's release never gives the name of the clerk of the House, but gives the gender as male. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Date unknown, "Fall" of 2005
The clerk contacts Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., chairman of the Page Board, and asks for an "immediate" meeting. It "appears" that the clerk also notified Van Der Meid that the clerk was "taking action." (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Date unknown, "Fall" 2005
The clerk and Shimkus meet and then "immediately" meet with Foley to ask Foley about the e-mail. The clerk and Shimkus "made it clear" that to "avoid even the appearance of impropriety and at the request of the parents" Foley was to "immediately cease any communication with the young man." Later that day on the House floor, the clerk told Van Der Meid that Shimkus and he had taken "corrective action." (Source: Hastert news release.) At that meeting, Foley claimed the communications were "innocent." (Source: New York Times, 10/2/02.)

Note: Hastert's office claims that during this time, Kennedy, Van Der Meid and Stokke "did not discuss the matter with others in the Speaker's Office" to protect the child's privacy. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Nov. 16, 2005
Denny Hastert nominates Karen Haas, his former floor assistant, to replace Jeff Trandahl as clerk of the House. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/16/05.) Trandahl, who worked for Republican members of Congress for 15 years before serving as clerk for seven, announced his departure on Sept. 30, effective Nov. 18, to serve as head of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. (Source: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation press release, 9/30/05.)

Date unknown, "Spring" 2006
Alexander tells Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, about the Foley events from the previous fall. The NRCC's job is to get Republicans elected to the House. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Date unknown, "Spring" 2006
Kevin Madden, spokesman for House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, says now that Boehner at this time had a "brief, nonspecific" conversation with Alexander about the Foley matter. Madden said Boehner could not remember now if Boehner had told other GOP leaders. (Source: New York Times 10/2/06.)

Date unknown, apparently "Spring" 2006
In a meeting, Reynolds tells Hastert "that an investigation was conducted by the Clerk of the House and Shimkus" of the Page Board. Hastert now "does not explicitly recall this conversation," but Hastert "has no reason to dispute" Reynold's claim. (Source: Hastert news release.) Rep. Dale Kildee of Michigan, the lone Democrat on the Page Board, releases a statement that says, "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." (Source: statement, Kildee, 9/30/06.)

July 2006
Foley gives $100,000 to the NRCC as part of the "Battleground Program." (Source: New York Times, 10/2/06.)

Sept. 28, 2006
The first e-mail exchanges between Foley and a male page are reported by ABC News. Foley dismisses them as "overly friendly" but not inappropriate. (Source: New York Times, 9/30/06.) Sept. 29, 2006Other pages come forward with sexually explicit instant messages. Foley resigns from Congress. (Source: New York Times, 9/30/06.)

Sept. 29, 2006
At a signing ceremony for the military commission bill, Hastert tells reporters that Foley has "done the right thing." Hastert says he has "asked John Shimkus who is head of the Page Board, to look into this issue regarding Congressman Foley." (Source: Washington Post, 9/30/06.) As the scandal breaks, Hastert claims he first learned about the Foley situation the previous week. (Source: Washington Post, 10/2/06.)

Sept. 29, 2006
House Majority Leader Boehner first tells the Washington Post he had learned in the spring 2006 about inappropriate "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page and that he had told Hastert back then. Boehner later contacted the Post and said he could not remember whether he had talked to Hastert. (Source, Washington Post, 10/1/06.)

Sept. 29, 2006
Hastert directs 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 Foley matter. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Sept. 30, 2006
Reynolds releases a statement saying that in spring 2006, he informed Hastert of the investigation into the Foley e-mails conducted by the clerk of the House and Shimkus. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.) "Despite the fact that I had not seen the e-mails in question, and Mr. Alexander told me that the parents didn't want the matter pursued, I told the speaker of the conversation Mr. Alexander had with me," Reynolds said. (Source: CBS News, 9/30/06.)

Sept. 30, 2006
Hastert releases a brief timeline of the Foley issue prepared by chief of staff and outside counsel. (Source: Hastert news release, 9/30/06.)

Oct. 1, 2006
Hastert writes Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Hastert asks Gonzales to conduct an investigation to see if Foley broke the law. Hastert says the sexually explicit instant messages and the "over friendly" e-mails are "two different and distinct communications." Hastert requests that Gonzales also launch an investigation into the sexually explicit instant messages specifically, and look "into the extent there are persons who knew or had possession of these messages but did not report them to the proper authorities." With respect to the instant messages, Hastert asks Gonzales to look into "who had specific knowledge of the content of any sexually explicit communications" between Foley and any pages. Bush is asked to determine if any state laws were violated.

Oct. 1, 2006
The FBI announces an inquiry to determine if Foley broke any laws. (Source: New York Times, 10/2/06.)

Oct. 2, 2006
Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, tells reporters in a conference call that her organization received the e-mails, but not the instant messages, on July 21, 2006, and sent them along to the FBI that same day. Sloan says the FBI's apparent failure to begin an investigation then makes them complicit in "dropping the ball" like House leaders. The FBI declines to say when its investigation began.


BREAKING NEWS (Oct. 13th 2006) :

Hastert’s Senior Staff Asked

‘To Intervene’

Three Years Ago
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http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/04/hastert-warned/

A senior congressional aide said Wednesday that he alerted House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s office two years ago about worrisome conduct by former Rep. Mark Foley with teenage pages. Kirk Fordham told The Associated Press that when he was told 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."The conversations took place long before the e-mail scandal broke, Fordham said, and at least a year earlier than members of the House GOP leadership have acknowledged.

UPDATE: Hastert’s spokesman says Fordham is lying: Despite claims by senior congressional aide Kirk Fordham that he notified House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s office more than two years ago about possible inappropriate contact between former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., and underage congressional pages, the Speaker’s office is insisting it did nothing wrong in its handling of the situation. "That never happened," Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean told ABC News about the report.

UPDATE II: CNN has Fordham’s full statement. An excerpt: Rather than trying to shift the blame on me, those who are employed by these House Leaders should acknowledge what they know about their action or inaction in response to the information they knew about Mr. Foley prior to 2005.

UPDATE III: Newest AP story says Fordham told Hastert’s top staffers three (3) ...not 2... years ago.

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GOP= GUARDIANS OF PEDOPHILES?

Maybe THIS should be the "New GOP Campaign Jingle"

for Election Day 2006:

Let OUR "Figures" do the "Stalking"

through your "Fellow Pages"!

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It's PERFECTLY OK to COVER-UP & "Alibi" behind OBVIOUS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY and "Yes" even the crimes of a Homosexual Alcoholic ADMITTED PEDOPHILE (PRACTICING on young BOYS on Capital Hill in Washington DC SINCE 1997) if he’s a "Republican"!

Last time we checked, to cover-up BEHIND A CRIME "Is" a crime... (Maybe the "Neo-Cons" would like to CHANGE that little technicality, but it hasn't happened for you folks.... yet)


THE CRIMES (So far) :

14.81.3. : "Computer-aided solicitation of a minor":

A.) Computer-aided solicitation of a minor is committed when a person eighteen years of age or older knowingly contacts or communicates, through the use of electronic textual communication, with a person who has not yet attained the age of eighteen or a person reasonably believed to have not yet attained the age of eighteen, for the purpose of or with the intent to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce the person to engage or participate in sexual conduct or a crime of violence as defined in R.S. 14:2(B), or with the intent to engage or participate in sexual conduct in the presence of the person who has not yet attained the age of eighteen, or person reasonably believed to have not yet attained the age of eighteen.

> § 2251 "Child Related PEDOPHILE":

"Any individual who violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both, but, if such individual has a prior conviction under this chapter or chapter 109A, such individual shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not less than five years nor more than 15 years, or both. Any organization which violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title. Whoever, in the course of an offense under this section, engages in conduct that results in the death of a person, shall be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life."

TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 1

> § 3 "Accessory after the fact":

Whoever, knowing that an offense against the United States has been committed, receives, relieves, comforts or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment, is an accessory after the fact. Except as otherwise expressly provided by any Act of Congress, an accessory after the fact shall be imprisoned not more than one-half the maximum term of imprisonment or (notwithstanding section 3571) fined not more than one-half the maximum fine prescribed for the punishment of the principal, or both; or if the principal is punishable by life imprisonment or death, the accessory shall be imprisoned not more than 15 years.

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THE COVER-UP:

REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP "Ignoring" these REPEATEDLY REPORTED criminal telecommunications and in FACT "Covering-up BEHIND that fact" since 1997!!!

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THE VICTIMS (So far):

SO FAR... SEVENTEEN (17) "Then" underaged former Capital Hill "Pages" have individually come forward telling virtually identical stories of being harassed (& "Stalked"?) ... having received SEVERAL profane and sexually suggestive solicitations, IM’s, and e-mails from this so-called "Conservative Republican".

Until now, there has been no evidence that any Democratic lawmaker or employee knew about Foley's conduct. Never mind that the Democrats are the minority party and SHOULD have been notified IMMEDIATELY when GOP lawmakers found out (As their "Currently" claiming) SIX YEARS AGO. Never mind, that GOP lawmakers notified GOP pages, but not DEMOCRAT pages about Foley. (How's THAT for PARTISANSHIP?)

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THE GOP (Loyal Party Republican's) THOUGHT (?) PROCESS:

"Republicans" in and BY that stand-alone description are somehow ABOVE the "Law" (?)

So... In the loyal GOP Supporter’s book it's IMPEACHABLE to get a BJ from a consenting adult of the opposite sex BUT it's PERFECTLY OK to COVER-UP & "Alibi" behind OBVIOUS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY and even the crimes of a Homosexual Alcoholic PEDOPHILE (PRACTICING for NEARLY TEN YEARS) if he’s a "Republican"???

The "Neo-Conservative Spin Doctors" echoed NATIONALLY by the "Hardcore Neo-Con Supporter" would have us believe that "Foley’s Resignation" was just Mark-bob being a "Good little soldier" and FALLING ON THE HAND-GRENADE for the GOOD OF & to save the "Party"...

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THE HAND-GRENADE was called

"The Truth"...

*** It exploded ANYWAY ***

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If it were a DEMOCRAT, you people would be organizing LYNCH MOBS by now!!! So VERY OBVIOUS and "Yes" so VERY SAD that you’re so BRAINWASHED that you can't see any difference!

It's once again obvious to everyone that the empty-headed "Neo-Drones" are coming-out in FORCE... Finding all of their information from the "Party Propaganda Machine". Folks such as "These" have ALWAYS BEEN & will ALWAYS BE bankrupted for thoughts that haven't been PLACED THERE for them by someone else! Their "Neo-Con-Trollers" OWN them lock-stock-and last living brain cell (Not too many THERE to dominate over in the first place, but).... TRUTH remains the TRUTH even when BURIED under 50 feet of politically generated pointedly propagandized fertilizer (AKA: "Partisanly Biased Neo-Spin-Doctor's bu-SH-it") !

...Aside from the obvious of wanting to enamor themselves to the very criminals that are robbing them blind, ignoring American disaster victims, as well as giving our ports to the very enemies they claim we went to war to fight and wishing to bankrupt Americans of their last existing guaranteed freedoms and liberties not to mention Personal Rights to Privacy... We are NOW (once again) REMINDED that "Republicans" are in and BY that stand-alone description, somehow ABOVE the "Law's" that govern modern society!!!

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It must be so VERY DIFFICULT to maintain the appearance of holding-on-to that "High Moral Ground" while secretly supporting and even APPROVING of leadership standards & practices that are in FACT so very LOW!

For "Political Movements" such as these, the past 230 plus years of "American Heritages" called Liberties, Freedoms, Civil Rights, and EVEN the basic rules of a "Modern Civilized Society" CAN & ARE manipulated DAILY to the sole benefit of the privileged few.

The "Preachers of the Political Right-wing" would point-out that this scandal represents nothing really NEW at all! The DEMOCRATS "Too" have been caught with THEIR figures doing the stalking through the fellow-pages!

ASIDE from these so-called "Arguing Points" sounding PAINFULLY REMINISCENT of adolescent children excusing their "Bad Behaviors" by alibi’ing that, "Geeee whiz!.... Johnny did it TOO"... does this really represent "Accurate Facts" or is it more likely that "The rest of that story is being left-out with the fullest intent of slanted omission"?

In the upcoming weeks, we will stand as witnesses to EVERY CONCEIVABLE ATTEMPT to cloud & confuse the actual FACTS behind this growing scandal MOSTLY TARGETING those members of the

"Conservative Fundamentalist Christian Voters Block"!

It’s the DUTY of EVERY AMERICAN to REMAIN "Focused" on the CURRENT ALLEDGED CRIMES, and to SIDE-STEP those attempts to somehow CHANGE the timing or topography of the "Truth".

FOR THE MOST PART, these alleged "Points of Neo-Conservative Facts" are based upon the 1983 "Congressional Page Sex Scandal" involving (in part) Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.) .

What are the actual un-spun non-partisan FACTS? (Let’s see) =>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Page_sex_scandal

On July 14, 1983 the House Ethics Committee concluded that Rep. Dan Crane (R-Ill.) and Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.) had engaged in sexual relationships with minors, specifically 17-year-old congressional pages.

In Crane's case, it was a 1980 relationship with a female page and in Studds's case, it was a 1973 relationship with a male page. Both representatives immediately pleaded guilty to the charges and the committee recommended reprimand for the two.

However, Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) demanded their expulsion [citation needed]. On July 20, 1983, the House voted for censure nearly unanimously[1], the first time that censure had been imposed for sexual misconduct. Crane, who subsequently apologized for his transgression, lost his bid for reelection in 1984.

Studds faced the Speaker who was actually reading the motion, with his back to the other members.[3] Also in contrast to Crane, who left the chamber after his censure, Studds rejoined the other members of the House after his censure was read. He continued to be reelected until his retirement in 1996.

The REST of the truth reveals NOT ONLY that there was far MORE to that story but ALSO there was a REPUBLICAN involved TOO! This "Page Scandal" was INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY upon it’s discovery by house DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP and at least SOME DEGREE of "Official Punishments" were passed down as the immediate result!!!

They would like us all to conveniently "Forget" that the Congressional Branch CAN NOT CONDUCT "Criminal Prosecutions"... rather, they DO have the ability to "Investigate", "Censure" , and even "EXPEL" policy-makers that are found to have engaged in "Criminal Activities".

CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS on the other hand, fall under the "Charging Authority" of individual State District Attorneys Offices and are the responsibility (in this case) of the "State" or "District Level Judiciary". Any "Failures" would fall THERE as well as with the gullibility of the voters that elected the lawmakers of question..... (FACT!)

Once again, one can only really wonder what kinds of "New & Improved" excuses we will be hearing from the Party-loyal "Spinning Wheels" as this latest investigation into GOP crime & cover-ups finally continues?

When it is discovered that "KEY Evidence" has been (accidentally?) lost or misplaced, will it sound somewhat like:

"The (digital / virtual) DOG ate my HOMEWORK"?

(Remember, I predicted it HERE first!)

That REALITY CHECK question boils down to "Do you want a national leadership that is ACCOUNTABLE for itself and pursues the reasonable facsimile of TRUTH?" ...or do you want your elected representative in Washington DC to conduct themselves in a air of being ABOVE the law while practicing lie after cover-up after denial after fumbling & inept failure?

THAT CHOICE is yours...

and culminates embodied within "Your vote" !

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Has America REALLY become such a nation of out-of-control politically unbalanced policy-makers who’s dangerous self-serving policies & agendas are not only PROVEN to be mind-beguilingly expensive as well as in many cases FATAL to our "Adult Population" but NOW also painfully dangerous to the safety and welfare of our CHILDREN as well???

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EDITOR’S FOOTNOTE:

In e-mails the newspaper excerpted on its Web site (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/) on Thursday (October 12th, 2006), Foley asked the governor to intervene on his behalf with his brother, President George W. Bush. "Have I done something to offend the White House? ... I am always getting the shaft," Foley wrote to Gov. Bush on September 29, 2004.

The "Shaft" ???.... Oh REALLY !!! .... Now, HOW could you NOT be thinking what I'M thinking? ... THINKING too much with "The SHAFT" was most probably the BIG problem.

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