Redstate

I didn't read carefully enough.

-exits

scandal, knowing that the IMs were horrendoud in nature and could carry a lot of power.

I think the problem is that everywhere I read nobody is really making a distinction between the emails and the IMs people think they are the same thing and from the same kid (it is my understanding the IMs were from a different Page and it was several years ago).

One thing that is concerning me though, are the reports that Page's were being warned away from Foley-why wasn't anyone doing anything about this years ago?

"Congressman Barney Franks (D-Ma) was caught cavorting with a male aid in House of Representatives washroom. Congressman Franks is still a Member of Congress."

Barney Frank has been openly gay since 1987. I've never heard the washroom story before, and a Google search turned up nothing. What's your source?

Foley, on the other hand, has crafted laws to prosecute internet predators, his own petard which will likely hoist him right into the slammer. (See, Alanis, now THAT is ironic.)

The big story is not the gay sex, but rather the apparent cover-up of child predation by powerful men for mere political expediency.

Ignatov

Conservative Republican from Maryland who had sex with young men. He, too, blamed alcohol.

And it was Barney Frank, not Gerry Studds, who fixed the parking tickets.

Quite a fact-challenged post there.

openly gay since 1987, but that does not give him rights or privileges not granted to others who are not of his sexual persuasion. I did do a Google search and found the following, which not only shows the hypocrisy of the dems when you consider their votes to censure and expel Frank vs. their head-hunting for Republican leaders today, but also shows that Foley had the decency to resign immediately, while Frank did not. A crime is a crime, and it brings shame and dishonor to the House of Representatives, whether the crime involves children or adults. Anyway, if you do an in depth Google search, you will find the following:

"Frank used the influence of his office on behalf of a male prostitute. Frank, who tried to fix his parking tickets, had hired and paid him $85 after seeing an ad for a "hot bottom" in the Washington Blade. The Ethics Committee had recommended a reprimand of Frank. The full House voted 390-38 against expulsion. It voted 287-141 against censure. Yet Frank was guilty of several felonies. "The truth of the matter," said Congressman William Dannemeyer, who sponsored the resolution to expel Frank, "is that Mr. Frank has admitted that he committed a felony on numerous occasions in the District of Columbia…" These included the crime of sodomy, which was then a felony. And prostitution was another violation of the law. "Unfortunately," Dannemeyer went on to say, "the ethics committee did not list in its recommendations to the House anything about the commission of the felonies that I have described and the misdemeanors. I think that is a significant omission." At the time, 1990, the House was run by liberal democrats.

Bob Dornan was one of only four members to speak in favor of the expulsion. He turned to Frank and said "I will vote for expelling you because you did not have the honor or decency to resign." Dornan said Congress had already lowered its standards when it failed to expel Crane and Studds for their sex scandals."

Tend to prefer that you not cut and paste your info but provide your sources.

thus, a URL or a Link to the posted blurb in your comment would probably be a good idea.

"Always be honest with yourself even if you are honest with no one else...
...It helps you keep track of your lies..."
--Myself

long enough to know how it works. Sorry for the oversight.

http://www.aim.org/media_monitor/A658_0_2_0_C/

So are you excusing Foley??

Franks was fising tickets illegally and running the male cat house out of his apartment.
Studds was having sex with the boy page, and told the House to stick it when he was censored.
Both were protected by the dems, allowed to get re-elected, and either served until retired (Studds) or is still there (Franks).

rightys are afraid of open debate
You fellas dont need to worry. You cant handle any opinions that disagree with your own so I will be limited to one post befroe being banned. So Unamerican.

[Not as much as, say, whining. But clearly you want to be tossed, so what the heck: we grant you your wish. Let us know via the contact link about how you spoke truth to power!]

[And, for the love of God, try to catch at least one Tarantino movie. You're making the blogosphere look bad. - Moe Lane]

Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after "sexually explicit" emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy.
Republican executive Randall Casseday of the conservative Washington Times newspaper was arrested for soliciting sex from a 13-year old girl on the internet.
Republican chairman of the Oregon Christian Coalition Lou Beres confessed to molesting a 13-year old girl.
Republican County Constable Larry Dale Floyd was arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with an 8-year old girl. Floyd has repeatedly won elections for Denton County, Texas, constable.
Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.
Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.
Republican petition drive manager Tom Randall pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 14, one of them the daughter of an associate in the petition business.
Republican County Chairman Armando Tebano was arrested for sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl.
Republican teacher and former city councilman John Collins pleaded guilty to sexually molesting 13 and 14 year old girls.
Republican campaign worker Mark Seidensticker is a convicted child molester.
Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.
Republican Mayor Tom Adams was arrested for distributing child pornography over the internet.
Republican Mayor John Gosek was arrested on charges of soliciting sex from two 15-year old girls.
Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.
Republican Committeeman John R. Curtain was charged with molesting a teenage boy and unlawful sexual contact with a minor.
Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.
Republican zoning supervisor, Boy Scout leader and Lutheran church president Dennis L. Rader pleaded guilty to performing a sexual act on an 11-year old girl he murdered.
Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor.
Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.
Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.
Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.
Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.
Republican advertising consultant Carey Lee Cramer was sentenced to six years in prison for molesting two 8-year old girls, one of whom appeared in an anti-Gore television commercial.
Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.
Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.
Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.
Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.
Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.
Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child.
Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.
Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.
Republican Judge Ronald C. Kline was placed under house arrest for child molestation and possession of child pornography.
Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.
Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.
Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.
Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography.
Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.

Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.

Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.

Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.
Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.
Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.
Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.

Republican legislator Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).

Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was found guilty of molesting a 15-year old girl.
Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child.
Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.
Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters.
Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.
Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.
Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.
Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000.
Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession.
Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet.
Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.
Republican campaign worker, police officer and self-proclaimed reverend Steve Aiken was convicted of having sex with two underage girls.
Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Republican president of the New York City Housing Development Corp. Russell Harding pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer.
Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women.
Republican Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized the rape of children in Iraqi prisons in order to humiliate their parents into providing information about the anti-American insurgency

http://devine-gamecock.townhall.com
www.race42008.com
"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face." - Ronald Reagan

Foley's already out. So we can either stay silent, and let the Democrats control the analysis of what happened, or we can join in.

I'd rather that we join in, what with an election coming and all.
--
If you're seeing shades of gray, it's because you're not looking close enough to see the black and white dots.

that a lie unanswered becomes a fact in 24 hours. We have to be part of the dialogue so nobody thinks a lack of expression means we condone anything wrong.

As an independent voter and former Catholic who was attacked by a priest at 14, I take exception to your characterizing Democrats as the party of reprobates. Perhaps you should google republicans and pedophiles and convictions.

I am the father of a thirteen year old boy and a sixteen year old girl. Pedophiles are the worst of the lowest: mandatory castration is fine in my book. Yet you seem to want to blame a political party of one stripe for this behavior, and then question the source- the messenger- instead of those who knew about it and chose not to investigate further. If one of my children came home and told me something sexually inappropriate had occurred at school, you bet damn well I would have investigated. I would not have used the post mortem excuse of saying "it was merely inappropriate". Look for fire when you smell smoke- unless it is politically dangerous? For the seemingly knowledgable Republican leadership to have hidden this- or not bothered to further investigate- is a crime in and of itself. Yet you blame the messenger.

I hid my attack from my good Catholic mother until I was 18, and then only during a verbal barrage wherein she began "Had I only followed the Church...", I wouldn't be having the 18- year old problems I then faced. I can understand the page's parents wish to keep this out of the limelight- I've been there. It's nice to see that many of the comments here provide the precaveat of how despicable Foley's behavior is. Fine- but don't think for a minute that your party is awash with the pure and untainted, and that is the province of the Democrats. Go ahead and google my suggestions. Your knowledge can provide a belated yet somewhat suitable mea culpa.

Thomas Payne

.. essentially boils down to you saying that if Republicans sat on it it's terrible, but if Democrats did, "so what".

absentee

I learned when I was thirty that the priest who attacked me had gone on to atack others in various parishes around the country. I was a child when it happened: I would rather have left it behind. It was in essense politically expedient for the adults at the time to bury it. No- democrats, republicans, whoever- they should have taked care of this immediately. But, as in my case, it was too embarrassing- and the fallout was probably the same.
Thomas Payne

First of all, if true your alleged history with the church has nothing to do with this thread or the subject at hand. Your sophistry is a poor attempt to associate all Republicans as promulgators of like despicable actions. Frankly, whether deliberate or not that is dishonest and unsupported pablum.

I suggest unless you have something relative and useful to say, don’t post.

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"

What I have related is true. And relevant. If adults of any color or stripe knew about this and buried it, either by inaction or design- as in what happened to me decades ago- they should be held accountable. IMMEDIATELY. Not apropos or germaine to this discussion? I though we were discussing values and responsibilities here. You don't see the attempted rape of a 14 year old as relevant to the soliticitation of another minor- both by authority figures? Why would you assume I am fabricating this story? Where is your disconnect?

Perhaps you don't like the notion that I can draw analogies from a defining life experience of my own, and deliver a message based on wisdom gained. It seems that you are intent on killing a messenger.

Thomas Payne

You want anyone who knew of this and failed to act "held accountable. IMMEDIATELY." but then complain everyone is "killing the messenger" when they ask "when did the messenger know while failing to act?" Make up your mind.

I can name two Democrat Congressmen who in the past decade have been exposed for having sexual relations with minors and were not held to account, Reynolds and Studds, one because he was pardoned by a Democrat President, Bill Clinton. You can’t name a single Republican Congressman from any decade where that is the case. Heck, we throw ours out, Gengrich and Livingston, for mere infidelity with adults. Democrats spent the better part of a year telling us “everybody does that”. My party is not perfect, but don’t tell me we don’t have the moral high ground and then some on these matters.

So you cite a couple of democrats. Do you have the moxie to read this list at: http://www.armchairsubversive.com/

As I have said repeatedly- I am an independent, I am not affiliated with any party. I am 48 and have NEVER missed a vote for 30 years. You can be Republican- that's fine by me. But the right's seemingly necessary reaction to lump in everyone who is not of their ilk is very disturbing. Democrats do this as well- though not with the same efficiency. Hooray to you!

But now, we are discussing pedophilia. And you try the party line thing. Your man was caught with the boy and it's a liberal problem? Get off it.
Thomas Payne

"Your man was caught with the boy and it's a liberal problem?"

Is that a KnownFact? I think he was trolling for the boy, but as far as I know had not gotten the boy, that was a Democrat that was censored for "nailing" a page, a girl by the way. Rep. Studds(sp) 1983.

But you are right on one thing, partisanship is very strong to now days young Padawan learner. Darth Pelosi and Reed likes it that way.

_______________________________
Another South Park Republican spouting off !

That one foul thing balances another? Talk about partisanship. How about ethics instead? If you need to go back 23 years to find an example of this for your reasons, perhaps you are not living in the real world at all. It's your house that is dirty now-spend some time cleaning that, instead of ruminatin' on the old neighbors' trash.
Thomas Payne

but no e-mails about how to make a fetus

http://devine-gamecock.townhall.com
www.race42008.com
"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face." - Ronald Reagan

was assaulted by a youth leader when she was 13.
She was cooperative with his moves, and helped him cover it up for awhile. The pastor, inspite of my immediate protests and reporting when we first suspected, did little to nothing. Until my daughter was ready to talk about it, nothing happened. We kept this very quiet. No local news. No big actions against the Church. The creep SOB is in prison now for parole violation and repeat. The daughter is doing pretty well in her life.
Which is all to say that I am pretty understanding with how people can react slowly and in shock when they find trusted persons abusing trust and faith.
What I don't like is accepting it for political advantage, which is not what happened with Foley at all.

Don't be so quick to assume the source(s) had no legal obligation to come forward. In some jurisdictions some persons do have such an obligation . . . doctors, lawyers, and some others. I do not know who had this information . . . but if he/she had it months ago, then he absolutely should have disclosed it . . . not just "probably."

Foley should go to jail based on the IMs I saw on ABC, assuming he sent them and the intended recipient was underage.

But keeping quiet about this is outrageous. Doing so for political gain is despicable.

Foley is sick. He needs to be in re-hab (as he is according to news reports) and he needs to be in jail, if the evidence against him holds up. But . . . whoever sat quietly on this did so with calculated intent. That is evil. ABC should report that person's name. If I represented the boy, we'd have a real legal showdown on that. I don't know if it was illegal because I don't know who it was and in what jurisdiction the act or acts occurred. But I suspect that this person let that child be endangered . . . and apparently did so to help Democratic candidates.

Shame on him or her and shame on ABC for not reporting it.

As you point out, depending on local law, one has a legal obligation to report abuse right after discovering evidence of it. This was one of the major problems in the clerical abuse scandals.

Ethically, one certainly has an obligation to do something on a timely basis, not withhold information until it is strategically advantageous to leak it in the runup to an election.

"If I..."

"I don't know..."

"...in what jurisdiction..."

"But I suspect..."

"...and apparently..."

Five suppositions in your last paragraph, and that's just a quick glance-through.

By and large, there is no requirement for anyone to come forward about illegal acts they may or may not have seen, unless directly questioned by authorities. Yes, doctors have been judged to have a duty, and in some cases lawyers and others. Most other people are not required to come forward.

Yes, whoever did it should have gone to the police; but by going to the media, he or she has actually helped the Republicans. Foley got a chance to resign before he got arrested. Is that an excuse? No. Is it right? No.

Should s/he go to jail? No.

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

--Thomas Jefferson

The left is crying out "won't someone please think of the children?"

The heart of the scandal politically is not whether or not Foley is a predator or a pervert. What the left is firing about is Republicans allegedly sitting on the information and being, therefore, complicit in putting teens at risk.

The question of whether or not Democrat operatives were in fact the ones sitting on damning information is rather important. In fact it is the crux of the political aspect of the scandal.

Get off his/her back? I don't think so!

absentee

then yes, sitting on the info and then bringing it about for political gain is a terribly unethical thing, and s/he should be chastised. But we don't know who the source is or why the information was released to the media instead of police.

And unless someone can come forward with a law for the District of Columbia that states you must come forward if you have information about abuse of this kind; I will continue to say that, while the "leaker" may have done something unethical and wrong, it was not illegal.

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

--Thomas Jefferson

You're arguing a minor point. The left is roaring about a cover-up.

The left is contending that Republicans sitting on information put kids at risk.

If the truth is that the Republicans had no damning evidence of a crime against children but the democrats did and they sat on it for political gain ... how can you possibly fidn that that is that not of interest?

absentee

So when do we get a rating system?

Evil prevails only when good men do nothing.

but the democrats did and they sat on it for political gain

There's no proof that it was a Democrat that sat on the evidence, although I admit from what we know right now that that does seems to be the mostly likely possibility.

But, it could have been a low level Republican that had this knowledge and had tried to get his bosses to listen and react and finally, out of frustration, went to the press. I mean, there are more Republicans walking around the hall of Congress than Democrats. And Republicans hold all the key positions of power.

So I query, if you were that aid with that knowledge and you ran into a wall of resistance when trying to deal with this problem in the official proscribed manner, just how would you have handled it? Knowing full well that a misstep could cost you your job and career.

I don't think that would have been much of a concern. If you were an aid and you really wanted to make the story public you could have found a million ways to do it. I don't think the aids themselves really wanted to make it public, though. It was too much fun! And Rep. Foley knew that he was "protected" by that wall of internal silence.

Think about what you just said for a second: you're a Congressional aide or page and you have firsthand knowledge about how a Congressman is quite deliberately soliciting male minors. And you are one of the recipients. Do you like the attention? In some cases, I think you would. I think some of the people in this case didn't come forward because they thought it was frankly innocuous conduct.

Selective quote. I said IF it turns out etc. etc.

I didn't say anything about proof. I'm arguing against two people who, for inexplicable reasons, find blog speculation to be problem.

You are also confusing what knowledge we are talking about. The knowledge of the IMs is the potentially withheld information, and the question of who withheld it is quite pertinent.

absentee

was a Soros funded group.

That would be dems, although not the official office holding variety, but then they would be smart enough not to have their hands on the actual IMs.

I do wonder how the Soros group got the IMs.

Was the group mentioned in earlier posts.

The point is the whole legislature needs a good cleaning..Dem Reps no matter. We are talking about under age children.

Why do so many leftists come here and lie? Quit lying. It's ridiculous that you don't see just how wrong it is what Foley did, without lying and saying he was going after children.

Oh wait, I know why you have to tell that lie: Because otherwise Foley's just like Bill Clinton.

Stop lying, you amoral liar.
--
If you're seeing shades of gray, it's because you're not looking close enough to see the black and white dots.

The over/under on this luminary's particular trip to The Pile™ is currently holding at 6-hours at TradeSpots.

-------------
"I don't know." -- Helen Thomas, when asked by White House spokesman Scott McClellan, "Are we at war, Helen?"

Adults and Children. Do you know the difference?

And lemme sew up those pockets, unsew those lips... why, yes, you should have a lie down.

And stay down.

The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.

Not exactly. We are speculating. And checking. We being bloggers and independent voters.

They are issuing decrees from on high about the inherent corruption in the republican party, and disseminating their version of information, one possibly based on exactly the type of cover-up they are speaking out against, into every possible media venue. They being elected Democrats and Democrat party leadership.

Not exactly the same thing.

absentee

So now you're not saying "we" are just doing the "same thing" we're accusing "them" of? Just following you here. Now it's not speculation anymore?

Those republicans who have admitted to anything haven't admitted to sitting on anything that is illegal or predatory as far as I've heard. The IMs were not known to them.

I'm afraid the point of your replies here escapes me.

Read this.

absentee

But I'm going to ask innocently why you think that matters so much?

(n/t)

Seems like maybe someone should kill the spell checker.

absentee

haven't had timt to learn how to use the spellchecker.

_______________________________
If "pro" is the opposite of "con", what is the opposite of "progress"?

Now we're back to Melanie Sloan, and Chuck Schumer. Thanks for closing the loop.

That our friendly Senator from New York and his protege over at CREW have a tremendous amount of interest in this story. I wonder why CREW would want to so deeply involve themselves in this with only a little over a month to go before the election? Could it be something that Chuck Schumer has had in the works all this time?

It looks an awful lot like Melanie Sloan and Chuck Schumer knew an awful lot about this back in July. It looks as though the two of them might have had quite an agenda surrounding the release of this information.

TeddyMalone writes, "What disturbs me most is that the information went to Reynolds of the NRCC first and then Hastert. That just looks bad."

But this is NOT true. It is a major distortion by the media! This has nothing to do with Reynold's role as head of the HRCC.

The truth, as everyone on the Hill knows, is that Reynolds got involved because his chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, was Mike Foley's chief of stsff for 10 years.

And the Palm Beach Post is reporting that Fordham is now working with Foley again:

Kirk Fordham, who worked as Foley's chief of staff for 10 years, returned to Foley's side to advise him during the past couple of days.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/nation/epaper/2006/09/30/s...

The media would rather paint the Republicans as having a devious scheme to politicize something like this horrible matter, when a much simplier explanation exists! Fordham was just helping an old friend.

I want to know what Melanie Sloan and Charles Schumer knew about this subject from the first day. I want to know why Melanie and her organization knew about this matter back in July, according to a post in this thread, and nothing was done about it except, perhaps, feeding that information to ABC News. I think that there's quite a few more unanswered questions that the public needs to know, and if ABC News is being circumspect and honest in its reporting, they should begin by asking Charles Schumer and Melanie Sloan why they knew what they knew when they did, and decided to do what they did with that information.

and nothing was done about it except, perhaps, feeding that information to ABC News

On July 21, 2006 CREW received a set of emails, allegedly from Rep. Foley to a former House page, which it sent to the FBI later that day
CREW 10/2/06

It's because we don't know the extent and the duration of the involvement between Melanie Sloan and Chuck Schumer that nobody can make a reasonable decision right now about what the true motives behind this revelation were. There's quite a bit more information behind that curtain, I would wager. And even if there isn't Senator Schumer should want to exonerate himself and distance himself from anything so sordid.

But I don't think that's the case. I personally think that both he and Melanie had quite a bit of knowledge of this case, that extends back long before July and the announcement on CREW's website. Only a forensic investigation of their records can prove or disprove that assertion, and I think one should be conducted, with all deliberate speed.

CREW and Schumer were being good citizens by sending that information to the FBI back in July. But I'm saying that they may very well have known about the problem prior to that. How did CREW receive that set of emails from Rep. Foley, a Republican? Where did those emails come from? It really is very curious to me that CREW would be the first to break this story to the FBI. Somewhere in those email records there will be an indication of who sent them, where they originated, and what mail servers they passed through before arriving at CREW. And that's really crucial information, when you think about it.

I'm not claiming anything, just pointing out that CREW sent the emails to the FBI last summer.

Obviously the emails didn't come to CREW from Congressman Foley. Here is what is known about the emails.

Here is what the St Petersburg Times said about their role in this.

In November of last year, we were given copies of an email exchange Foley had with a former page from Louisiana. Other news organizations later got them,too.

[...]

The Louisiana boy's emails broke into the open last weekend, when a blogger got copies and posted them online. Later that week, on Thursday, a news blog at the website of ABC News followed suit
St Petersburg Times 9/30/06

The blog that first posted the emails is StopSexPredators. This is a relatively new blog with very few entries. They posted the emails on 9/24/06.

CREW had the emails on July 21, 2006 and tirned them over to the FBI on that day. CREW didn't published the emails until late last week.

The e-mails were posted Friday on Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's Web site after ABC News reported their existence
AP 9/29/06

It gets interesting when you look carefully at the emails posted at StopSexPredators on 9/24/06. The emails posted at StopSexPredators do not match the emails posted at CREW, NBC or ABC.

CREW
CREW
StopSexPredators

The differences are slight- "Glad" versus "glad"; "Send me an email pic" versus "send me a pic"; "How are you" versus "how are you".

Also note a time stamp at the top of the CREW emails (May 29, 2006).

I think it's clear that someone was trying to get these emails out. Who? I don't know.

I didn't know about the Chief of Staff connection.

I was under the impression that Alexander took the complaint from his page to Reynolds. Though now I don't recall if that was last year or last Spring. The timeline is messed up.

Is there a true timeline somewhere?

I believe that Kirk became Reynolds CoS just prior to the Reynolds learned about the Foley emails.

I think they should interview Chuck Schumer.

I saw a version online where they blocked out the email addresses of the sender and recepient, but left out the part where the page mentions the other page's name. That was thoughtless on the part of whomever released it. Can you imagine how humiliated that kid would be if he knew?

How much more clear does this need to be?

If democrat operatives were sitting on the Instant Messages from Foley and republicans were not, then the Democrats are far more guilty of being complicit in Foley's criminal acts.

My understanding is that the emails, while gross and sickening, are not illegal, whereas the instant messages may be an actual crime against a child.

Withholding the instant messages for political gain is despicable. If this happened, it should be uncovered.

Go read americablog and dkos. The course is clear. As the only people interested in the truth, conservatives should be working to figure out who covered up what. The democrats are only interested in how they can use this to call all Republicans everywhere evil.

absentee

and that could be a federal crime.

ABC
has posted the following IM exchange:

In another message, Foley, using the screen name Maf54, appears to describe having been together with the teen in San Diego.

Maf54: I miss you lots since san diego.
Teen: ya I cant wait til dc
Maf54: :)
Teen: did you pick a night for dinner
Maf54: not yet…but likely Friday
Teen: ok…ill plan for Friday then
Maf54: that will be fun

The messages also show the teen is, at times, uncomfortable with Foley's aggressive approach.

Maf54: I want to see you
Teen: Like I said not til feb…then we will go to dinner
Maf54: and then what happens
Teen: we eat…we drink…who knows…hang out…late into the night
Maf54: and
Teen: I dunno
Maf54: dunno what
Teen: hmmm I have the feeling that you are fishing here…im not sure what I would be comfortable with…well see

Foley is scum. Anyone who tried to cover this up for him is scum. Anyone who enabled this in any way is scum. Anyone who withheld evidence of this for ANY reason....is scum.

I hope they put Foley in prison for a long time, if for no other reason than to provide an example for any future scumbag politicians.

You folks can blame the media, blame George Soros, blame Schumer, blame the Dems...it does not change the fact that Foley is scum.

I don't think it serves the GOP well to be looking for excuses for this. Nobody cares who knew what when except the hardcore political junkies. Nobody cares what the legal age of consent is in FL except the lawyers and criminals. Everyone cares about the fact that Foley, a man who was supposedly a leader in the protection of this nation's children. We should help put the SOB in jail and wash our hands of him as quickly as possible.

The dems are trying to make hay on this by demanding the leadership be investigated and/or resign their leadership positions. This from the same liberals who in 1990 refused to censure or expel Barney Frank based on his actions which brought shame and dishonor to the House. In fact, far less than a majority of dems voted to even reprimand him.

The GOP is not looking for excuses for this action by Foley. It is, however, not going to be run over by the likes of the Carville, Begala & Company war room.

> "As the only people interested in the truth, conservatives should be working to figure out who covered up what. The democrats are only interested in how they can use this to call all Republicans everywhere evil.:

That's how politics works these days. Republicans do it, too. (Remember Schiavo?) Neither party has the lock on the "truth", and neither party is above using something for political gain or for demonizing the other side. So I don't think your blanket statement casting one party in white and one in black is warranted. They both have a mix of criminals and good people.