In 2006 Rep. Nancy Pelosi was outraged that Rep. Alexander and the House Leadership had knowledge of the extracurricular activities of Rep Mark Foley and failed to report his activities to the Democratic Leadership.
In an October 2006 Press Release she stated,
"The FBI is rightly investigating former Republican Congressman Mark Foley’s reported internet stalking of an underage former House Page. Mr. Foley is outside the reach of the House Ethics Committee, however the required investigation into the cover up of Mr. Foley’s behavior by the Republican Leadership must quickly move forward.
The children who work as Pages in the Congress are Members’ special trust. Statements by the Republican Leadership indicate that they violated this trust when they were made aware of the internet stalking of an underage Page by Mr. Foley and covered it up for six months to a year.
Congress must not pass the buck on investigating this cover up. The children, their parents, the public, and our colleagues must be assured that such abhorrent behavior is not tolerated and will never happen again.”"
Pelosi October 2006 Press ReleaseIn fact Rep. Pelosi was so outraged by the behavior of House Republicans that she sponsored H. Res. 1065. This resolution never passed, but it was circulated to the press by Rep. Pelosi's staffers, at the initial stages of the Ethic's Investigation, as the resolution that passed. What the resolution did not mention was that Rep. Pelosi was still angry with Rep. Alexander for switching parties and was only too happy to make him the point of the investigation regardless of the facts.
At the time Rep Alexander switched parties, "According to Roll Call’s Heard on the Hill,
the Democratic leader [Nancy Pelosi] was so “touched by the Democratic aides’ courage”
to quit en masse, has rewarded their party loyalty by giving them
government cash to help their job search. No, she didn’t give them a
ride to the Department of Employment Services to start their weekly unemployment benefits; she put them on her payroll until such time as they find a job." Devil's Advocacy
One wonders how Rep. Pelosi would react if a bill similar to H Res 1065 was filed regarding her knowledge of the activities of Rep. Massa? Do the "Members of Congress [still] have a responsibility to protect their employees" or is it only applicable when the allegations are against Republicans?
2d Session |
Raising a question of the privilege of the House.
Ms. Pelosi submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
Raising a question of the privilege of the House.
Whereas for more than 150 years, parents from across the country have sent their children to be pages in the U.S. Capitol, the Page School is a national treasure, and the children who attend it and work in the Congress are our special trust;
Whereas, according to press reports, Representative Mark Foley (R–FL) reportedly engaged in highly inappropriate and explicit communications with a former underage page;
Whereas these allegations were so severe that Representative Foley immediately resigned his seat;
Whereas the page worked for Congressman Rodney Alexander (R–FL) and, according to press reports, Representative Alexander learned of the emails “10 to 11 months ago” (AP, September 29, 2006);
Whereas Rep. Alexander has said, “We also notified the House leadership that there might be a potential problem”, and the Democratic leadership was not informed (AP, September 29, 2006);
Whereas all Members of Congress have a responsibility to protect their employees, especially young pages who serve this institution;
Whereas these charges demand immediate investigation, including when the emails were sent, who knew of the emails, whether there was a pattern of inappropriate activity by Mr. Foley involving email or other contacts with pages, when the Republican leadership was notified, and what corrective action was taken once officials learned of any improper activity; and
Whereas given the serious nature of these charges, the pages, their parents, the public, and our colleagues must be assured that such egregious behavior is not tolerated and will never happen again: Now, therefore, be it
(1) the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct are directed to immediately appoint a Subcommittee, pursuant to Rule 19 of the Rules of the Committee, to fully and expeditiously determine the facts connected with Representative Foley’s conduct and the response thereto; and
(2) the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Standards are further directed to make a preliminary report within ten days.
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