AP: Foley panel: GOP left pages vulnerable

Republican lawmakers and aides left male pages vulnerable to Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record)’s improper sexual advances even though the first concerns surfaced more than a decade ago, the ethics committee said Friday in its report into an election-year scandal that convulsed the House.

The committee said one witness testified he warned the head of the page board, Illinois Rep. John Shimkus (news, bio, voting record), a year ago that Foley was a “ticking time bomb” who had been confronted repeatedly.

The GOP Leaders knew and they did nothing to protect the male pages.

The Democrats knew and they played politics with the knowledge:

If Republicans were criticized for failing to confront Foley more aggressively, Democrats also figured in the investigation.

The committee said that one aide, Matt Miller, had possession of suggestive computer messages written by Foley, and passed them along to reporters as well as a communications aide at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert should have RESIGNED and he may have saved GOP sets in the November election.

But, as the report acknowledges – POLITICS AS USUAL

And the GOP paid the price…..

Chairman of the House Ethics Committee Doc Hastings (R-WA) (R) and ranking committee member Howard Berman (D-CA) speak about their committee’s report into the Mark Foley scandal on Capitol Hill in Washington December 8, 2006.

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Mark Foley Sex Scandal Watch: Three More Pages Accuse Foley

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PRANK

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: Hastert on the Laura Ingraham Show

Mark Foley Sex Scandal Watch: Identity of Page Who Accused Mark Foley Exposed

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: Congressional Aide Kirk Fordham – Alerted Hastert’s Office Three Years Ago About Mark Foley

Michael Ramirez on the Congressman Mark Foley Sex FLAP

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: President Bush – DON”T RESIGN, Mr. Speaker

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Watch: RESIGN, Mr. Speaker

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