Ex-GOP Aide: Hastert Knew 3 Years Ago

Top Aide To Rep. Tom Reynolds Says He Told Hastert's Office About Foley's Conduct

(CBS/AP)  A senior congressional aide said Wednesday he told the office of the Republican leader of the House of Representatives about worrisome conduct by his former boss, Rep. Mark Foley, toward teenage pages more than three years ago, long before officials have acknowledged becoming aware of the issue.

Kirk Fordham told The Associated Press that when he learned 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," alluding to House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Hastert's office denied the explosive allegations.

While conservatives have been debating whether Hastert, one of the most powerful men in Washington, should resign, the embattled legislator has said he will not step down. The uproar has enveloped Republicans who were already at risk at losing control of Congress in elections Nov. 7 in which all 435 seats in the House are at stake.

The conversations took place long before the e-mail scandal broke, Fordham said, and at least a year earlier than members of the House Republican leadership have acknowledged.

Fordham, once Foley's top aide, is known to be gay. CBS News has learned that several other top Republican staffers who handled the Foley matter are also gay. Their role in this controversy has caused a firestorm among GOP conservatives, who charge that a group of high-level gay Republican staffers were protecting a gay Republican congressman, reports CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger.

Foley's attorney, David Roth, announced for the first time that Foley is gay, but insisted Foley never had sexual contact with a minor.

That precise wording may turn out to be very important, because in Washington D.C., 16-year-olds — the minimum age of a page — are not considered minors when it comes to having sex, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

Fordham resigned Wednesday as chief of staff to Rep. Thomas Reynolds, a member of that leadership.

Fordham spoke to the AP after ABC News quoted unidentified Republican sources as insinuating that he had intervened on behalf of Foley, his former boss, to prevent an inquiry into Foley's conduct.

"This is categorically false," Fordham said. "At no point ever did I ask anyone to block any inquiries into Foley's actions or behavior."

The longtime Capitol Hill aide said he would fully disclose to the FBI and the House ethics committee "any and all meetings and phone calls" regarding Foley's behavior that he had with senior staffers in the House leadership.

"The fact is even prior to the existence of the Foley e-mail exchanges I had more than one conversation with senior staff at the highest level of the House of Representatives asking them to intervene when I was informed of Mr. Foley's inappropriate behavior," Fordham said.

Fordham said one staffer to whom he spoke remains employed by a senior House Republican leader. He would not identify the staffer.

"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," Fordham said.

A Capitol Hill aide for more than a decade, Fordham said he resigned because he did not want his role in the Foley matter to harm his boss Reynolds' re-election bid.

[goodrepub]

Now I'm sure...no, certain...that come November all good Republicans will see the wisdom of "winking" at Foleys Follies and re-electing the Grand Old Party of Family Values!!

Besides his lawyer has assured us that Tom never (note the finger shake), never had *** with a minor.

Minors in DC are defined as less than 16-years...which just happens to be the minimum age for a page. See how neat it all works out?

Support your local Family Values candidate.

[herbwells]

It only exposes this group of Republician politicians for what they are...Uncaring about anything but themselves...Dishonest about everything from reasons for war, to their own personal behavior and activities...Interested in nothing else but maintaining power over us/U.S. at any cost, even at the cost of our childrens innocence and the integrity at the very core of our national pride. These people as well as their
leader is an embarassment to us all.

[plowhandle]

Soooooooooooooooooo good to be done with these Republican scumbags.

Can't wait til November !

[searingtruth]

pelepoe

Thank you.

[searingtruth]

A wise man was once asked "Amongst two, who is my enemy?
One demands a loyalty based upon secret trust, the other a fellowship based upon open truth."
The wise man answered "The one believes you are a fool."
SearingTruth

"The truth is simply what it is, defined by the weakest of us who must suffer through it."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[pelepoe]

searingtruth you cant be a politition because you do tell the truth! shoot ballots nopt bullets vote independent and get rid of the GOP and DEMS! bless everyone!

[searingtruth]

"As a regular and proud violator of the law myself, I was shocked and disgusted that others had also proudly ignored and violated the law."
The Republican Party

SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[processor2]

I find it ironically amusing that the liberals today who are "shocked" over a politician sending x-rated e-mails to a 17 year old page(not a child - D.C. age of consent is 16), and demanding resignations.

are the very same liberals who, eight years ago, were DEFENDING another politician who was caught with a 22 year old intern.

And were liberals demanding resignations eight years ago? NO

Just what were liberals saying eight years ago? And I quote:

"If it's consensual, it's OK", and
"It's a private matter, and none of our business"

Don't those same liberal beliefs apply today? Apparently not.

If anyone is being hypocritical, it's the liberals.


P.S.

At least Foley was honorable enough to resign, unlike the politician in the 1990's

[searingtruth]

"Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day."
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dupont de Nemours, April 24, 1816

"People will believe in almost anything, except for reality."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[Geneius]

Hastert is the perfect icon for our present government. Bloated, fat, evasive and putting ruling power above any other consideration.
By the way "searingtruth", If I wanted to read your rants, I would visit your website. This forum is for comments not rhetoric.

[searingtruth]

From SearingTruth's "A Future of the Brave" -

So today I ask every American within the sound of my voice, or reach of my words, to once again stand as one people, with one voice, with one conscience, and one purpose, and demand the immediate and unconditional restoration of our government of the people, by the people, for the people, and visible to the people.

Today I ask every American registered with the Republican or Democratic parties to immediately abandon those failed institutions and register as a non-partisan voter. Today I ask that from this day forward, we, as a united people, vote only for those candidates who pledge to immediately restore our Constitutional Republic.

These are the keys to the kingdom my friends, which we have always held. It just seems that, for awhile, we had forgotten how to turn them.

Yes, it's time to empty our secret prisons. Let us free the innocent, and justly convict the guilty.

And let history record that in that darkest hour, when loss predeemed history, providence again praised freedom. Providence, and the righteous will and might of the American people.

www.searingtruth.com

[searingtruth]

Of course, by now some may be wondering about the Democratic Party. Why haven't I mentioned them?

Well, it's simply because they made themselves irrelevant by never, ever, even once in the last six years, standing as a party to protect our Constitutional form of government.

On the contrary, they went along with every treasonous step, every single step of the way.

They have committed that most pathetic of crimes, apathetic accomplice.

There is simply nothing else to say about them.


A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[mjv2944]

Current congress and administrations interpretation of the Constitution and mine are miles and miles apart. Vote out all imcumbents and hopefully the ones replacing them have taken notice of what is going on. What a case for term limits these zeros have built.

[pelepoe]

we must have a revalution shoot ballots instead of bullets vote independent and get rid of the GOP and DEMS and their hidden agendas.

[searingtruth]

"It has been my experience that those most concerned with the morality of others adhere to a lesser morality within themselves."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[jsilver2th]

I guess we can't write the G word in comments! Wow it's all over the story!

[jsilver2th]

Oh the Republicans are crying in their beer again tonight after getting super Monica Lewinskied- It's so obvious they will toast Hassert within a week trying to stop the impending Democratic sweep- bye bye control of congress. All the talking heads like that junky Rush Limbaugh want to blame the Democrats but it looks like a *** Republican staffer was the first turn Foley in, although it seems nobody had time to deal with it since they were so busy legislating morality for the underclass, getting their make-up on to guest on FOX and jetting over to Scotland for a round of golf. Better call in Ann Coulter to blame the 9/11 widows or John Kerry. If they had *** Marriage maybe all of their congressmen and staffers wouldn't have to live such dysfunctional lives. Kind of like the Priests if you think about it.

[theyelladawg]

Alll this uproar from the party that brought us "family values." What do you expect from a group of pampered, arrogant Lillputians who exempt themselves from the laws they pass, raise their own salaries when ours are declining, pad thier own retirements while they try to destroy ours, and allow the administration to violate our constitutional rights while abdicating their oversight duties? Time to throw the rascals out! www.throwtherascalsout.us

[searingtruth]

"One of the most fundamental precepts of justice is that everyone, under every circumstance, be treated equally."
SearingTruth

"They destroyed with reckless abandon, and then plead for mercy."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[pakaal]

Thanks Marcelde/MisBas, but as for slowing down lets see, House Majority Leader John Boehner has asked the House Ethics Committee whether there even should be an investigation! This is the man who was approached with the emails in the first place!

As for Hastert's "investigation", well he's contacted (who else but) Alberto Gonzales, to find out if 1. Any specific law was broken and 2. who had specific knowledge of the explicit emails and why they didn't report them. In effect, there's no investigation into the question of how members of Congress allowed this man who was known by Pages and House leaders for 10 years to be a predator, to run the halls.

How convenient for Republicans if Hastert (himself one of the officials deepest involved in this scandal) gets his way and the DOJ puts a gag order on our elected officials in the midst of this tremendous scandal, weeks from the election.