Republican Party: Pro-Torture And Now Pro-Pedophile

The Republicans in Congress have been protecting a pedophile in their midst for almost a year.

GOP informed of Foley's e-mails
House speaker told months ago, says congressman; both parties want investigation

(10-01) 04:00 PDT Washington -- Top House Republicans knew for months about e-mail traffic between Rep. Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Foley, R-Fla., to remain head of a congressional caucus on children's issues, Republican lawmakers said Saturday.

GOP leaders knew of Foley e-mail in '05

WASHINGTON — GOP leaders admit their offices have known for months that a Florida Republican congressman was sending inappropriate e-mails to a boy who had worked as a page in the House of Representatives.

The office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who earlier said he'd learned about the e-mails only last week, acknowledged that aides referred the matter to the authorities last fall. They said they were only told the messages were "over-friendly."

Rep. Thomas Reynolds, who heads the House Republican election effort, said Saturday he told Hastert months ago about concerns that a fellow Republican lawmaker, Rep. Mark Foley, had sent inappropriate messages to a teenage boy.

Speaker was told about Foley e-mails, GOP member says

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Republican of Illinois, was notified early this year of inappropriate e-mails from Representative Mark Foley, Republican of Florida, to a 16-year-old male page, a top GOP House member said yesterday.

The member, Representative Thomas Reynolds of New York, contradicted the speaker's assertions that he learned of concerns about Foley only last week.

Hastert did not dispute the statement by Reynolds, and the speaker's office said some of Hastert's top aides knew last year that Foley had been ordered to cease contact with the youth and to treat all pages respectfully.

Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, became the second senior House Republican to say that Hastert has known of Foley's contacts for months, prompting Democratic attacks about the GOP leadership's inaction. Foley, 52, abruptly resigned his seat Friday after the e-mails became public.

House majority leader John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, said Friday that he learned in late spring of inappropriate e-mails that Foley sent to the Louisiana youth, and that he promptly told Hastert, who appeared to already know of the concerns. Hours later, Boehner said he could not be sure he had spoken with Hastert.