by Mark Silva
What shall we say about Eric Massa?
Or, perhaps more significantly, what more shall House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have to say about the disgraced Democrat who resigned from Congress amid word that he allegedly had groped congressional assistants?
"The Massa massage,'' as it apparently has long been known.
The Washington Post reported today that Pelosi's office had been notified in October about concerns about the behavior of the congressman from western New York State, the one who now speaks so casually and publicly on cable TV about those tickle-fests that he enjoyed so much in his Navy days -- with former shipmates of the 20-year Navy veteran elected to Congress in 2008 telling new tales of his old "snorkeling.''
Joe Racalto, Massa's chief of staff, "was uneasy that Massa, 50, was living with several young, unmarried male staffers and using sexually explicit language with them,'' the Post reported, citicing a source. "But what finally prompted him to call Pelosi's director of member services, the source said, was a lunch date that Massa made with a congressional aide in his 20s who worked in the office of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). According to a person briefed on the call, Racalto was concerned that the lunch followed a pattern by Massa -- who is married and has two children -- of trying to spend time alone with young gay men with no ostensible work purpose.''
Massa resigned from the House on Monday, and that might have been the end of it had Republicans not readily seen the significance of the scent of a coverup in a scandal all too reminiscent of the former GOP leadership's mishandling of the behavior of former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida. Not to mention Glenn Beck's cable-broadcast spectacle with Massa (above.)
"Now they're saying I groped a male staffer - yeah I did,'' Massa told Beck this week. "Not only did I grope him I tickled him 'til he couldn't breathe. Then four guys jumped on top of me."
The Atlantic has looked up some old Massa shipmates.
"According to Peter Clarke, a Navy shipmate, Massa was notorious for making unwanted advances toward subordinates. He tells the story of his friend Stuart Borsch, with whom Massa shared a hotel room while on leave during the first Gulf War. "Stuart's at the edge of the bed," Clarke says Borsch told him at the time, "and [Massa] starts massaging him. Massa said, 'You'll have to get one of my special massages.' He called them 'Massa Massages.'" Ron Moss, a Navy shipmate and Borsch's roommate, confirmed that Borsch told him this story at the time.
"Borsch, now a history professor at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., didn't addresss that specific incident, but did confirm to me in an email that he was groped by Massa: "In 1990, aboard the U.S.S. Jouett, I was awakened when a senior officer, Lt. Commander Massa, seemed to be groping me. (I was a lieutenant at the time.) I believe he may have been drinking. I shouted at him and he left. I mentioned the incident to several other officers. I did not officially report it."
"Clarke says that Massa's roommate, Tom Maxfield, was also assaulted. "Tom lived on upper bunk," Clarke say. "When you're on ship, you're almost exhausted 24-7. So a lot of times you sleep with your uniform on. Tom and Massa shared a stateroom together. Massa climbed up on the top of his bunk, which is hard to do--you never crawl up on somebody else's bunk. He wakes up to Massa undoing his pants trying to snorkel him."
Massa is "a very sick person,'' Pelosi talk-show host Charlie Rose last night.
Massa resigned from the House on Monday amid questions about his personal conduct. He at first cited his health, before it was disclosed that the House ethics committee was investigating allegations that he harassed a male staffer. Over the GOP's objections, the ethics panel has closed its investigation because Massa is no longer within its jurisdiction, according to a House Republican aide.
Still, "there are an awful lot of questions surrounding the Eric Massa case and his resignation," House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) says. "I would hope we would get to the bottom of these questions."
Pelosi told reporters last week that she first learned about the harassment allegations from her staff the previous day. The allegations were reported to the office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer in February. Hoyer told reporters this week that he had advised his staff that the matter should be turned over to the ethics committee.
Pelosi said her staff had earned about the allegations from Hoyer's staff in February but didn't pass on the information to her because it was a "one-two-three-person removed rumor." The Post today, however, says her office was told of the Massa problem as long ago as October.
Wire services contributed.
Comments
Pelosi is a LIAR and we all know it!
We can only hope that Barney "Stick it here" Franke is the next but muncher to be exposed.
Posted by: springfield | March 11, 2010 11:47 AM
The Swamp ran 37 articles on Mark Foley.
The Swamp has run 1 on Eric Massa. And that 1, long after the story broke.
Mark Foley was a Republican, while Eric Massa is a Democrat.
We'll wait to see if the Swamp does Massa like the Swamp did Foley.
Posted by: Bruce, amused again | March 11, 2010 11:57 AM
I think Butthead Beck would enjoy being tickled by Massa. Maybe John Boner would be as well, when he's not lying in his tanning bed.
Posted by: Doug R. | March 11, 2010 12:14 PM
MEDIA BIAS?!?!? WHAT MEDIA BIAS???
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | March 11, 2010 12:50 PM
What a crazy, mixed up world we live in when Democrats behave like Republicans!
Posted by: This much is true | March 11, 2010 1:00 PM
Dear Retarded(slow, lagging behind) Republicans, The difference between this story and Mark Foley is that the Republican leadership knew for several months that Mark Foley had a penchant for teenage boys but did not launch him because of an upcoming election. The Democrats waisted little time in launching Massa. In summation, Republicans coddle and protect teen boy predators, the Democrats launch strange legislators who like to tickle men in a harassing manner.
Posted by: danger lurks | March 11, 2010 1:15 PM
This is so hilarious, Crazy Glenn Beck thought he was going to get a big "Dems are corrupt" scoop from Massa and it turns out that Massa is just as nuts as Beck is!!!
Posted by: HHH | March 11, 2010 1:18 PM
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE?!?!? WHAT FAIRNESS DOCTRINE???
Posted by: HHH | March 11, 2010 1:20 PM
UMMM WHO'S THE RETARD? "Democrats waisted little time"
PELOSI KNEW ABOUT SINCE OCTOBER, IS THAT NOT MONTHS?
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | March 11, 2010 1:21 PM
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UMMM WHO'S THE RETARD? "Democrats waisted little time"PELOSI KNEW ABOUT SINCE OCTOBER, IS THAT NOT MONTHS?
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | March 11, 2010 1:21 PM
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Talking Bumper Sticker,
Really? I'm guessing that you have some documentation (not from a nutty right wing source) to back up this claim, right? Is this something Crazy Glenn told you or did you just pull this out of your backside all by yourself today?
Posted by: HHH | March 11, 2010 1:44 PM
Rangle blamed his staff for not informing him that his trips were corporate sponsored. Pelosi blames her staff for not informing her about Massa. I see a pattern here.
Posted by: vla | March 11, 2010 2:10 PM
Dear Danger Lurks: If you really believe that Pelosi didn't know about Massa before it all went public then you truly are democratic leadership material. And if you think Massa only "tickled" Pages in the literal sense then you really ought to go for the next liberal judge's bench. Massa admits he did "special Massa Massages" as well as being interrupted while groping a bunk mate on a US naval vessel. He also "snorkled" young males in the navy in a course of improper fraternization. So don't be trying to say his case is somehow any better than another like Foley's.
The fact of the matter is that BOTH parties try to cover up when scandals occur and its happened to both sides throughout past history. The problem is getting ALL parties to accept an open policy in regard to misbehavior cases. There really ought to be a citizen's review board or oversight group for congressional behavior AND to oversee pay and benefit increases. No body of law makers should be over watching themselves or giving themselves pay raises, but the US Congress does it regularly and it STINKS.
Posted by: JR | March 11, 2010 4:01 PM
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Dear Danger Lurks: If you really believe that Pelosi didn't know about Massa before it all went public then you truly are democratic leadership material. And if you think Massa only "tickled" Pages in the literal sense
Posted by: JR | March 11, 2010 4:01 PM
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There's one tiny little thing that's missing from your rant here, Slick......[PROOF] - you don't have any.
Democrats reported Massa to the Ethics Committee.
We're still waiting for the Repugs to do the same with Vitter and Ensign...
Posted by: HHH | March 11, 2010 4:33 PM
HHH and Danger Lurks, Steny Hoyer, Pelosi's right-hand man in Congress, admitted he has know of Massa's problems since the beginning of January. So, that is at least two months right there that the Dem leadership knew of this.
And, then shall we discuss Charlie Rangel, who has had ethics problems for quite some time and WAS NOT going to resign as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and for whom she continually supported him up until the rank-and-file Dems in Congress told Nancy Pelosi last week that they would vote with the Republicans to oust him?
Or how about William "$90,000 in the Freezer" Jefferson, who Pelosi did nothing about?
Also, Loons, and this is no defense of Foley or the Republicans, but Foley never touched anyone. He sent text messages, but he never touched anyone. BIG difference!
Posted by: John D | March 11, 2010 6:08 PM
HHH, the article to which you responded states quite clearly that Pelosi's office was notified in October.
I think it's odd that she sat on it until he announced that he was a "no" on hell care, and THEN the scandal broke.
Posted by: Indi | March 11, 2010 6:12 PM
John D and Indi,
Yeah.....and the Democrats reported Massa to the Ethic Committee like they're supposed to do.
We've been waiting on Republicans to do the same in the cases of David Vitter and Jon Ensign for nearly two years now.
Posted by: HHH | March 11, 2010 6:57 PM
Triple H.
David Vitter as are been punished by the committee. Jon Ensign is still under investigation. Try to keep up with the adults.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | March 12, 2010 11:41 AM
I demand a congressional investigation to learn what this "Snorkeling" is.
Also - how does "kill the old man" work? Is tickling required? Or gratuitous? Five young men jumping on him - how is that different than Rugby?
Let's face it, without all the juicy details, it's just not a good scandal for anyone! Full investigation! Detailed accounts! Clarence Thomas level of detail. Please! We need this diversion from reality!
Posted by: Fred A | March 12, 2010 12:51 PM
Massa---did he try to seduce those young boys acting as "pages" the way Foley did?
Did Massa proposition guys in public toilets the way Larry Craig did?
Did Massa hire a prostitute to put diapers on him the way Vitter did?
Did he try to pay off the husband of his girlfriend/subordinate the way Ensign did?
Enquiring minds want to know?
Why are Vitter and Ensign still around?
Isn't it time for them to go work for Gibson Dunn or Kirkland Ellis?
or some PR front firm for the corporations on K St.?
Posted by: ornery | March 14, 2010 9:31 AM