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by Matthew Hay Brown
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today called on lawmakers to conduct “an immediate thorough review” of supervision and security at the residence where House pages stay during their time in Washington, following the dismissal of four pages for sexual and criminal activity.
Reports that two pages engaged in oral sex in front of other pages at their Capitol Hill dormitory come 15 months after the Mark Foley scandal focused new attention on the program for high school juniors.
Pelosi’s comments today followed the resignations of the two Republican members of the House Page Board, who said they were not promptly informed of the misconduct.
“The problems with communication between board members that plagued the program in the past have only continued under new House leadership,” Rep. Shelly Moore Capito, one of the two, said Thursday. “Members of this board cannot productively tackle problems that may occur with our pages when questionable incidents are held from members of the page board.”
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida was the other Republican to resign. The board also includes two Democrats, the House sergeant-at-arms, the parent of a page and a former page.
The criminal activity involved shoplifting, aides say. Pelosi called for a review today.
“Since enacting our bipartisan reforms unanimously in January, the House enforces a zero tolerance policy for page misconduct,” the California Democrat said. “That is why the House pages involved in each of these serious incidents were immediately expelled and sent home.
“The House Page Board must undertake an immediate and thorough review of the adequacy of the supervision and security at the page dorm. As a mother and grandmother, nothing is more important to me than the safety of our House pages.”
Page Board Chairman Dale E. Kildee, a Michigan Democrat, echoed the concerns of the resigning Republicans.
“The board was not satisfied with the manner and timeliness in which it was informed of these actions,” he said in a statement. “Therefore, in our Page Board meeting of Nov. 9, 2007, the board unanimously agreed that the clerk of the House should immediately and simultaneously inform all members in cases where pages were dismissed from the program. Indeed, that was the case in the most recent incident.”
House Clerk Lorraine Miller, in a statement of her own, said “As part of our program overhaul, we have adopted a zero-tolerance policy when faced with rules violations or conduct that is ethically or legally suspect.
“These recent dismissals are an example of our willingness to exercise our option of immediate dismissal from the program, an option that we will continue to exercise when appropriate and warranted.”
The House voted unanimously this year to reorganize and expand the Page Board following the Foley scandal.
Panel members said they weren’t notified when Republican former board Chairman John Shimkus of Illinois first learned that fellow GOP Rep. Mark Foley of Florida had been sending inappropriate messages to male former pages.
The scandal, which came to light two months before the election last fall, helped Democrats win control of Congress.
Comments
What else would high school and college students be doing during a semester in Washington DC away from their parents?
Posted by: EK | December 7, 2007 6:35 PM
Sick, sick, sick...
More child molestation from the politicians of our country at Google Video. Watch CONSPIRICY OF SILENCE. About the CIA kidnapping little boys. And using them for Congressmen! That documentary was banned from the White House. Produced by the Discovery Channel.
I don't know what is worse. Pedophile politicians? Or illegal wars? (That kill over 1 million innocent people.)
Sick indeed!
Posted by: Heyman Nationwide | December 7, 2007 6:44 PM
For Representatives Capito and Brown-Waite to chastise Pelosi for inaction on this matter is extremely hypocritical given that they were silent while Republicans were molesting those same paiges. However, they do have a point in that Pelosi isn't following through on what she vowed in many respects.
Posted by: Rick/Sneads Ferry, NC | December 7, 2007 6:59 PM
The Grand Old Pedophiles just won't leave the Congressional pages alone.
Recent story here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8JZ8t051EY
We need to ban the Republican Party from being able to use Congressional pages. We have to keep our kids who are working in DC safe from them.
Posted by: Billy Zoom | December 7, 2007 7:05 PM
Will this becalled the Garry Studds Investigation?
Posted by: Terry | December 7, 2007 7:06 PM
And yet the Swamp does not cover Sen. Maria Cantwell's aide who solicited sex from a 13 year old and was excited to learn the 13-year old boy had "innocent features" (may phrasing since the Swamp censors are too sensitive to read about this guy even though it has appeared in all the Washington papers).
Posted by: John D | December 7, 2007 7:34 PM
"And yet the Swamp does not cover..."
Posted by: John D | December 7, 2007 7:34 PM
John D. resorting to defending Republican pedophiles. No surprise for us fans of you, JD!
Posted by: Rick/Sneads Ferry, NC | December 7, 2007 8:05 PM
Nancy Pelosi is losing it again yet.
John Shimkus had no reason to question Mark Foley about this sexual misconduct-- because his constituent asked him not to embarass her son.
But, leave it to dirty Nancy Pelosi to seek partisan gain to embarass former Congress committee members she has no plan for the future its blame the GOP period!
This woman has screwed her chances of being reelected because she is simply not effective.
John Shimkus is America's finest Congressman.
Pelosi is a loser that keeps up partisn gotchas for no reason than her partisan advantage. She comes from gay San Francisco what more can I say coupled with Daddy who was connected to the outfit in Baltimore when he was Mayor.
It's time for her to lose the Speakership if the Dems plan on winning in 08.Jerry White, Springfield, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | December 7, 2007 8:19 PM
READ THE STORY FOLKS!!!!
It's pages having sex with each other!!! No pedophiles!!
Posted by: Reality | December 7, 2007 8:26 PM
And yet the Swamp does not cover Sen. Maria Cantwell's aide who solicited....
_____________________________
WHAT!? She fired him. Sounds like personal accountability to me. Something the republicrites keep TALKING about. Unlike, say, Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho). More mush from the wimp juannieeD.
Posted by: rncbs | December 7, 2007 8:28 PM
While we are at it, let's look at one of the nation's leading liberal talk show host in the country and his child porn charges:
http://www.examiner.com/a-1090907~Talk_show_host_indicted_for_child_porn.html
Posted by: Terry | December 7, 2007 9:24 PM
And yet, John D, you, as usual, are not concerned with the problem at hand. Only that something somewhere involving the Democrats have been left out.
John D, you're a real sad sack.
Posted by: ken | December 7, 2007 9:33 PM
John D.
"And yet the Swamp does not cover Sen. Maria Cantwell's aide who solicited sex from a 13 year old....."
==========================
John D proves once again that lying is the rule for this reichwinger.
Maria Cantwell's aid was immediately fired when he was caught in a underage sex sting operation. This had absolutely nothing to do with Maria Cantwell.
The Pages scandal had everything to do with Senate Pages in a vulnerable position being used and abused by repuke Senators and/or Congressman. (The very people that publicly condems just about any other sex than the missionary position among married adults, and than only to procreate.)!
John D. is a lying misinformant, everyone here is acutely aware of his lying and red herring style of childish underage nonsense.
Posted by: B Doggle | December 7, 2007 10:00 PM
Lil' Johnny and Terry, sittin' in a tree, K I S S I N G! Here comes RNC Bruce! It's a Threesome!
Posted by: weinerdog43 | December 7, 2007 10:23 PM
Over the course of the last several months it has become crystal clear that the Mark Foley page scandal was known by numerous powerful Republicans for several years, as parents, brothers and sisters it is our duty to do everything in our power to keep these creepy old Republican men away from our young Congressional pages.
This video tells the story as it evolved:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRF8IhgzYfs
Posted by: Jim Shortz | December 7, 2007 11:31 PM
Shoplifting is a problem. But sex among teenangers? What's illegal there? And what's with the pedophile claims?
Consentual sexual activity among teenagers may be unethical to some, but is not illegal, though religous zealots would like to enact laws agianst any kind of sex that's outside married couples. Not worth the time for hearings.
Of course, conservatives have nothing better to do except whine about this & spin it into something it's not.
Posted by: RomanB | December 8, 2007 1:49 AM
...And Yet!
Liberal democRATic talk show host,[BERNIE WARD](KGO) radio from San Fran-Sicko (D) was just indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for child sex porn!
Maybe Bernie (D) will learn his lesson and won't lie to a Federal Grand Jury,like B.J. Clinton (D) did, and get [Impeached] off the air waves????
'It's Bush's fault',claimed Ward's lawyer, Doron Weinberg (D)....Hmmmmm?
Maybe lawyer, Doron Weinberg (D), got talking points from Nancy Pulosi (D)?
Ahhhh....those lib dems at The Swamp, Don't ask, don't tell and don't report!
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | December 8, 2007 2:06 AM
And yet the Swamp does not cover Sen. Maria Cantwell's aide . . .
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You're slipping Johnny. I would have expected you to identify her as Hillary's colleague, Sen. Maria Cantwell's aide . . .?
Posted by: Bruce Y | December 8, 2007 10:08 AM
"LONG LIVE NANCY PELOSI"
Nothing like cleaning house before the BOYS leave.
It's a duel chamber of violence, but YOU GO GIRL, and by all means please ask Sen Vitter to oversee the proceedings right next to Larry Craig.
That would be better than an O.J. trial or the Texas Rangers we hate you Barry Bonds Senatorial, headed by John McCain Trials during the first day, of the ninth day, after the third monday, in January Presidential primaries that no one has a clue what the true date that is.
So why not add a little punch to the Boehner and the Blunt of the GOP Fillibuster Good ol Cabin Boys.
And if you get a few "Blue Dogs" along the way, NOT A PROBLEM!
Posted by: Roger Morris | December 8, 2007 10:26 AM
Hey if we are going to talk about Democrats...and then there are the Republicans...
http://columbiacitypaper.com/2007/11/10/legacy-of-filth
Reality got it right.
Posted by: sheesh | December 8, 2007 10:38 AM
Jerry (Paulo) White,
Only a goof would say that the 1st female speaker of the house of representatives is a loser, loser.
Posted by: Doug Zook | December 8, 2007 11:51 AM
Weinie,
Do that picture get you excited?
Doug,
Or someone w/ a grasp of reality
Posted by: Terry | December 8, 2007 5:24 PM