Candidates Unload Money From Foley

But NRCC Will Keep Contributions To Get Republicans Elected

(AP)  Republicans in tight re-election contests were unloading contributions they received over the years from Mark Foley, the former congressman ensnared in an e-mail sex scandal.

But the National Republican Congressional Committee, which has received $550,000 from Foley since 1996, will keep its money, committee spokesman Carl Forti said.

"We will be using the money like every other contribution — to help elect Republicans across the country," Forti said.

Nick Lampson, who founded and chaired the the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, called the NRCC's move "despicable" and has organized an effort to call on Foley and the NRCC to donate the disgraced Congressman's $2.7 million campaign war chest to the National Center for Missing Exploited Children

In Buffalo, N.Y., the Republican chairman of the committee, Tom Reynolds, dismissed the notion that the committee give up or donate the $100,000 it received from Foley last summer. He spoke at a news conference in which he also defended himself against suggestions that he didn't act appropriately when he learned of Foley's contact with a Louisiana teenager.

"It's astounding to me as a parent or a grandparent that anyone would insinuate that I would seek to cover up inappropriate conduct between an adult and a child," Reynolds said, flanked by about 30 children and as many parents.

Among Republicans disposing of Foley money were Virginia Sen. George Allen, who plans to give the $2,000 his campaign received to a charitable cause, and Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico, who plans to give away $8,000 she received between 1998 and 2002. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., already donated $2,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., returned $1,000 she had received from Foley's political action committee.

Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, a member of the Republican leadership, returned $5,000 to Foley's leadership PAC on Friday. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., returned a $1,000 contribution as well. Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., and Geoff Davis, R-Ky., donated the $1,000 they each received from Foley's PAC to victims' advocacy organizations in their respective districts.

Rep. Mark Green, a candidate for governor in Wisconsin, planned to give $1,000 he received in 1998 from the Foley PAC to a charity that helps abused children, his spokesman said Monday night. The state Democratic Party had called on Green to return the money.

Foley was a member of the House Republican leadership where he served as a deputy whip. Like most leaders, Foley not only kept his own campaign fund, he also maintained a leadership PAC and donated to candidates and to the party's congressional committee. Since he was elected in 1994, Foley has contributed $30,000 to congressional candidates from his own campaign funds. Since 1998, his PAC has distributed $149,000 to political candidates, according to Political Money Line, a nonpartisan organization that tracks political money.

His contributions to the NRCC were his single largest political donations. His most recent contribution to the party committee was in July for $100,000, according to Federal Election Commission documents. Such a sum is not an unusual donation for members of the party's top echelon to the committee responsible with helping to elect GOP House candidates.

The congressional campaign committee is chaired by Reynolds, R-N.Y., one of the first members of the GOP leadership notified about the existence of some questionable e-mails from Foley last year. Reynolds has said he promptly and personally notified House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

Returning money from scandal plagued politicians has become common practice this election cycle amid a series of guilty pleas, investigations and confessions of wrongdoing by lobbyists and members of Congress.

Among those whose contributions have found their way to charities are former House Republican leader Tom DeLay, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., and Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio.

[nothappyatall]

Dirty money from a dirty party, they are all running scared now- GOOD!
Come Novemember I'm voting DEMOCRAT across the board no matter what.

"...But the National Republican Congressional Committee, which has received $550,000 from Foley since 1996."

WHere'd this idiot get all that CASH from?

[bluestardad]

Does anyone In America believe that smoke screen Congressman Foley%u2019s attorney was spewing out? He now claims he was molested by a Clergy 30 or 40 years ago and that makes his actions, over the past years in congress, of chasing page boys justified. So now he is enrolled in an alcohol treatment facility (even though no one knows he drinks) in hopes the legal system won%u2019t have the stomach to pursue him there. It seems that as soon as a member of congress gets caught in a crime they run to some treatment facility to avoid prosecution by the authorities. Let%u2019s hope the legal system has more credibility than the congress and goes into that treatment facility drags him out to face the music of his pedophilia before the father of one of those pages does!

Michael Boetjer
Captain U. S. Army
Double Blue Star Father
Fort Wayne Indiana

[missingamerica]

What a shock...the party of "the end justifies the means" and "its just business" intends to keep dirty money.

Amoral or immoral...being one or the other is apparently not only the the primary qualification of current successful Republican politican, but a prerequisite for new Republican politicians.

Must be fun looking forward to telling your grandchildren "Yep, Mark Foley's money started my Republican career.".

Hope none of those grandkids say "But (grandma/grandpa), wasn't Mark Foley that Representative that resigned over...".

[vbkatlou]

Looks like Republican spin doctors and PR teams have been working mucho overtime this week.

[pakaal]

Tom Reynolds being the chair of the NRCC, with Kirkland being the former (now resigned) chief of staff, I thought they'd be using the money for legal fees when they're dragged into court for obstruction of justice in the Foley case.

After all, Tom Reynolds was the one who told Kirkland last Friday to negotiate with ABC for an exclusive with Mark Foley in exchange for ABC not releasing those emails and IMs....

Let's hope they make doubly sure this time to only elect Republicans who aren't sexual predators.