Post by Blaque on Oct 11, 2006 19:23:47 GMT -5
Florida’s Black Congressmen outraged at Foley Case and GOP’s handling of it
By Sherrel Wheeler-Stewart
BlackAmericaWeb.com
October 5, 2006
Only an independent investigation can get to the bottom of the scandal involving former Congressman Mark Foley - whose e-mail relationship with a former House page was made public last week - said two Florida Congressional leaders who are members of the Congressional Black Caucus. “The Republicans have proven they cannot police themselves,” Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL) told BlackAmericaWeb.com. He referred to other Republican scandals that have rocked the party in recent months, including the events leading to the resignation of Tom Delay and another scandal involving political contributions to Republicans. “The House leadership should let us know what they knew, when they knew it and what kind of action was taken,” Meek said. The oversight in the investigation in the hands of Republicans “will not be what it should be and will not be what it must be,” to ensure thorough ethical review, he said. “We must know the political intent behind the handling of this matter,” Meek said.
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) said it’s not enough for Republicans just to say, “Don’t do it any more.” “We know about the single child that was involved. But I am worried about all the pages. Does this go beyond what we know?” Hastings told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “When the children come to work as pages, they are not Democrats or Republicans.” Hastings said he had heard rumors about Foley’s sexual orientation. “Foley was rumored to be in the closet. Everyone knew something was amiss. When the Republicans received information about the e-mails, it should have immediately sent a red flag,” Hastings said. Meek called the incident a travesty to the child and said he wonders what impact it will have on the page program in the future. “Because of this, the program will not carry the credibility that it has carried in the past,” he said. On Wednesday, Democrats called for a temporary halt to the page program while an investigation is conducted.
There also have been numerous calls for Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to step down. The Republican leadership, including Hastert, is said to have known of the improper e-mail contact between Foley and a 16-year-old page at least six months ago. Also Wednesday, a lawyer representing Foley acknowledged that Foley is gay and that he had been abused by a clergy man as a youngster.
The scandal threatens Republican leadership in the House and Senate, with the Nov. 7 midterm election only weeks away. Democrats would need to pick up 15 seats to gain control of the House, and six to gain control of the Senate. Foley‘s seat in South Central Florida District was considered to be a stronghold for Republicans, but now is on the Democrats radar. Foley had held he seat for 12 years. Republicans have selected Joe Negron to replace Foley in the general election, but Foley‘s name still will be on he ballot. A vote for Foley will actually be a vote for Negron, who faces wealthy Democrat Tim Mahoney.
“The same man who helped George Bush get elected to the detriment of thousands of disenfranchised voters in Florida is the same man who may be responsible for the Republicans losing control of the House,” political analyst and commentator Jasmyne Cannick told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “It is unfortunate, but Democrats must consider how to spin this to get us out to the polls,” she said, “You know if this had been a Democratic congressman, the Republicans would be all over it. They’d be saying: ‘He’s another Bill Clinton.’”
Rep. Ron Lewis (R-KY), in a tougher-than-expected re-election race, abruptly canceled an invitation for Hastert to join him at a fundraiser next week. "I'm taking the speaker's words at face value," Lewis told AP. "I have no reason to doubt him. But until this is cleared up, I want to know the facts. If anyone in our leadership has done anything wrong, then I will be the first in line to condemn it." Ron Bonjean, Hastert's spokesman, said the entire issue had been referred to the House Ethics committee. "We fully expect that the bipartisan panel will do what it needs to do to investigate this matter and protect the integrity of the House," he added.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi went one step further, issuing a statement saying that Hastert and the rest of the GOP leadership should be "immediately questioned under oath." “The children, their parents, the public, and our colleagues deserve answers and those who covered up Mark Foley's behavior must be held accountable," she said.
Foley, 52, a Florida Republican, resigned last Friday after he was confronted with sexually explicit electronic messages he had sent teen-age male pages. He has since entered an alcohol rehabilitation facility at an undisclosed location. Through his lawyer, he has said he is gay but denied any sexual contact with minors.
By Sherrel Wheeler-Stewart
BlackAmericaWeb.com
October 5, 2006
Only an independent investigation can get to the bottom of the scandal involving former Congressman Mark Foley - whose e-mail relationship with a former House page was made public last week - said two Florida Congressional leaders who are members of the Congressional Black Caucus. “The Republicans have proven they cannot police themselves,” Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL) told BlackAmericaWeb.com. He referred to other Republican scandals that have rocked the party in recent months, including the events leading to the resignation of Tom Delay and another scandal involving political contributions to Republicans. “The House leadership should let us know what they knew, when they knew it and what kind of action was taken,” Meek said. The oversight in the investigation in the hands of Republicans “will not be what it should be and will not be what it must be,” to ensure thorough ethical review, he said. “We must know the political intent behind the handling of this matter,” Meek said.
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) said it’s not enough for Republicans just to say, “Don’t do it any more.” “We know about the single child that was involved. But I am worried about all the pages. Does this go beyond what we know?” Hastings told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “When the children come to work as pages, they are not Democrats or Republicans.” Hastings said he had heard rumors about Foley’s sexual orientation. “Foley was rumored to be in the closet. Everyone knew something was amiss. When the Republicans received information about the e-mails, it should have immediately sent a red flag,” Hastings said. Meek called the incident a travesty to the child and said he wonders what impact it will have on the page program in the future. “Because of this, the program will not carry the credibility that it has carried in the past,” he said. On Wednesday, Democrats called for a temporary halt to the page program while an investigation is conducted.
There also have been numerous calls for Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to step down. The Republican leadership, including Hastert, is said to have known of the improper e-mail contact between Foley and a 16-year-old page at least six months ago. Also Wednesday, a lawyer representing Foley acknowledged that Foley is gay and that he had been abused by a clergy man as a youngster.
The scandal threatens Republican leadership in the House and Senate, with the Nov. 7 midterm election only weeks away. Democrats would need to pick up 15 seats to gain control of the House, and six to gain control of the Senate. Foley‘s seat in South Central Florida District was considered to be a stronghold for Republicans, but now is on the Democrats radar. Foley had held he seat for 12 years. Republicans have selected Joe Negron to replace Foley in the general election, but Foley‘s name still will be on he ballot. A vote for Foley will actually be a vote for Negron, who faces wealthy Democrat Tim Mahoney.
“The same man who helped George Bush get elected to the detriment of thousands of disenfranchised voters in Florida is the same man who may be responsible for the Republicans losing control of the House,” political analyst and commentator Jasmyne Cannick told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “It is unfortunate, but Democrats must consider how to spin this to get us out to the polls,” she said, “You know if this had been a Democratic congressman, the Republicans would be all over it. They’d be saying: ‘He’s another Bill Clinton.’”
Rep. Ron Lewis (R-KY), in a tougher-than-expected re-election race, abruptly canceled an invitation for Hastert to join him at a fundraiser next week. "I'm taking the speaker's words at face value," Lewis told AP. "I have no reason to doubt him. But until this is cleared up, I want to know the facts. If anyone in our leadership has done anything wrong, then I will be the first in line to condemn it." Ron Bonjean, Hastert's spokesman, said the entire issue had been referred to the House Ethics committee. "We fully expect that the bipartisan panel will do what it needs to do to investigate this matter and protect the integrity of the House," he added.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi went one step further, issuing a statement saying that Hastert and the rest of the GOP leadership should be "immediately questioned under oath." “The children, their parents, the public, and our colleagues deserve answers and those who covered up Mark Foley's behavior must be held accountable," she said.
Foley, 52, a Florida Republican, resigned last Friday after he was confronted with sexually explicit electronic messages he had sent teen-age male pages. He has since entered an alcohol rehabilitation facility at an undisclosed location. Through his lawyer, he has said he is gay but denied any sexual contact with minors.