Sources Deny “October Surprise” Theory
“Two of the news media’s sources of Mark Foley’s sexually explicit instant messages to former House pages said this week that they came forward to expose the Florida congressman’s actions, not to help the Democrats in the midterm elections….
“One of ABC News’s sources, a former page, said he went public with his knowledge of the instant messages on Sept. 29 only after the network, the day before, published the questionable e-mails that Foley had sent to the Louisiana boy. The former page and current college student stressed that he is a ‘staunch Republican’ who ‘wouldn’t vote for a Democrat ever.’ He also said that he is not calling for the resignation of Hastert or any other Republican leader….
“‘I decided that it was in the best interests of kids in general, pages and my friends specifically that Foley be dealt with quickly and swiftly so that he couldn’t hurt anyone else,’ the Republican student wrote in his e-mail. ‘We’ve seen how long the Justice department and every other government bureaucracy can take to deal with criminal issues and abuse. I knew the media would be the fastest way to get Foley the justice he deserved.'” (WaPo)
Harper’s: Democrats Were Not Holding Onto E-Mails for October Surprise
“Leading Republicans, with the support of conservative media outlets, are charging that the Mark Foley scandal was a plot orchestrated by Democrats to damage the G.O.P.’s electoral prospects this November. According to the Washington Post, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert appeared on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show and âagreed when the host said the Foley story was driven by Democrats âin some sort of cooperation with some in the mediaâ to suppress turnout of conservative votersâ before the midterm elections….
“The Republican leadership is lying when they claim that Democrats have engineered an ‘October Surprise’; there was never a plan undermine the G.O.P. or to destroy Hastert personally, as the speaker has vaingloriously suggested. I know this with absolute certainty because Harperâs was offered the story almost five months ago and decided, after much debate, not to run it here on Washington Babylon.” (Harper’s)
Former Foley Aide to Testify Thursday
“Mark Foley’s former chief of staff, who says he warned the House speaker’s staff three years ago of inappropriate Foley conduct toward male pages, is to testify Thursday before the House ethics committee.
“Kirk Fordham will insist that he warned Speaker Dennis Hastert’s chief of staff about the conduct in 2003 or possibly the previous year, Fordham lawyer Timothy Heaphy said.” (AP)
Hastert Vows to Fire Aides if a Cover-Up Is Discovered
“Speaker J. Dennis Hastert said Tuesday that members of his staff should be fired ‘if there was a cover-up’ in the way they had handled complaints about Mark Foleyâs conduct toward teenagers in the Congressional page program….
“The remarks by Mr. Hastert, made to reporters in his Congressional district in Aurora, Ill., were the first time he had used the term âcover-upâ in talking about the case. Mr. Foley, a Florida Republican, resigned late last month after explicit messages he had sent to a former page became public.” (NY Times, WaPo, LAT)
Clerk’s Role Grows in Foley Scandal
“A Republican patronage employee who once controlled the administrative apparatus of the House emerged Tuesday as a key figure in the scandal over former Rep. Mark Foley’s inappropriate e-mails to underage pages.
“A new account from a Republican congressman who was informed as early as 2000 of suggestive e-mails from Foley to a former page described a more significant role for then-House Clerk Jeff Trandahl. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) said he passed the complaint to Trandahl, who also was involved in handling a complaint in 2005 about inappropriate e-mails to another former page.” (Chi Tribune)
Kolbe Front and Center in Foley Scandal
“If Arizona Rep. Jim Kolbe [R-AZ] was trying to retire quietly, it isn’t working out that way.
“Kolbe confirmed Tuesday that he referred concerns about then-Rep. Mark Foley [R-FL] to the House clerk’s office in 2001 or 2002 after a former page told him Foley had sent him e-mails that made him feel uncomfortable.
“The revelation is key to the question of when top House Republicans knew about Foley’s behavior and whether they should have acted sooner to intervene.” (AP)
The Ins and Outs of Reynolds’ Surprisingly Difficult Bid for Re-Election
“Entangled in the Mark Foley scandal four weeks before the election, Tom Reynolds invites comparisons to silent-movie comedian Harold Lloyd desperately clinging to the hands of a moving clock.
“A four-term incumbent, Reynolds was so confident of reelection in this normally safe Republican upstate district that he signed on to head the national House GOP campaign committee, as he had in 2004. But Reynolds — who had been warned months ago of Foley’s improper e-mails to House pages — is reeling from a new poll in the Buffalo News that shows him trailing his odd-duck Democratic challenger, Jack Davis, by a stunning 48 percent to 33 percent (with a 5 percent margin of error). Apparently that deficit isn’t just due to the Foley problem; as the News commented, ‘Widespread opposition to [George W.] Bush and the war … suggests Reynolds’ re-election was in trouble before the congressional page scandal.'” (Salon)
Chambliss Rides for Free More Than Any Other Congressman
“Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ office has logged more trips paid for by private interest groups than any other federal lawmaker’s office, a new online database shows.
“The Center for Responsive Politics launched the database Tuesday on its Web site (www.opensecrets.org). It lists congressional travel from July 2005 to Aug. 21, 2006.
“Chambliss, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, or members of his staff â or in some cases, both â took 53 trips during that period at a cost of $84,431 to private groups….
“‘By providing these trips, corporations, trade associations, labor unions and other private interests get politicians on their turf, to see and hear their side of an issue â and their side only,’ said Sheila Krumholz, acting director of the nonpartisan center. ‘The average citizen isn’t invited to ride along in the golf cart.'” (Atlanta Constitution-Journal)
Ney To Formally Enter Guilty Plea on Friday
“Rep. Bob Ney [R-OH], who has admitted to corruptly accepting thousands of gifts from lobbyists in exchange for legislative favors, is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Friday the 13th to formally admit wrongdoing.
“And to the dismay of Republicans, he will likely do so as a sitting member of Congress.” (The Hill)
Coin Dealer’s Jury Selection Starts
“Just four weeks before Election Day, jury selection began Tuesday in the case against a Republican fundraiser accused of embezzling at least $2 million from a rare-coin investment that he managed for the state.
“The scandal has rocked the Ohio GOP and raised Democrats’ hopes of retaking the governorship for the first time in 12 years.
“Tom Noe, a 52-year-old coin dealer, is charged with theft, money laundering, forgery and a corrupt activity charge. He could get up to 10 years in prison on the corrupt activity charge, which includes the allegation that he stole from the $50 million rare coin fund.” (AP)
DeLay Ally’s 527 to Begin Running Ads Hitting Dems
“A previously unknown group led by a Republican political consultant in Houston is financing television advertisements against nine Democratic House candidates from North Carolina to Arizona.
“The group, Americans for Honesty on Issues, is spending more than $1 million on the advertisements, which accuse Democratic candidates of carpetbagging, coddling illegal immigrants, being soft on crime and advocating cutting off money for troops in Iraq.” (NY Times)
Ethical Allegations Fly in NY-20
“Locked in one of the costliest and nastiest House races in New York State, Representative John Sweeney, a four-term Republican from the Albany region, and his Democratic challenger traded pointed accusations yesterday over each otherâs character and fitness for office.
“The day of charges and countercharges began when the Democrat, Kirsten Gillibrand, called on Mr. Sweeney to release records stemming from any ‘run-ins with the law you may be hiding from voters.’
“In issuing the call, she cited two incidents that resulted in Mr. Sweeneyâs arrest nearly 30 years ago â one in 1977 for turning in a false fire alarm and another a year later for driving while intoxicated. Ms. Gillibrand also seized on a 2001 incident in which Mr. Sweeney drove his car into a utility pole after, he said, he had had two glasses of wine. While he was not charged or issued a ticket, questions about whether he received preferential treatment by the local police have surrounded the case.” (NY Times)
