Update
October 5th, 2006 by JackToday, I sent letters to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Rahm Emanuel and DNC Chairman Rahm Emanuel requesting that they also come before the House Ethics Committee in regards to what they or their staff might have known about Mark Foley and his activities. The letters were also signed by 10 of my fellow Members.
This sad episode should not be a partisan issue. It reflects poorly on the Congress as a whole and weakens the trust of the American people. In order to restore that trust we must complete this investigation in a thorough and non-partisan fashion. All Members of the House, our staff, and members of the public regardless of political party should come forward and provide whatever information they know. We need to get to the bottom of who knew about Mr. Foley’s inexcusable actions, when did they know about it, when did they first become aware of the Instant Messages in question, and what did they do with that information. As Republicans we expect, and so far have seen, nothing less from our Leaders and today we are asking for the same full cooperation from Democratic Leaders.
The text of the letter is as follows:
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently demanded that Speaker Hastert and other top Republican Members appear for questioning under oath by the Ethics Committee (“Pelosi Wants GOP Leaders’ Testimony, Roll Call, October 3, 2006) regarding the management of the scandal surrounding former Congressman Mark Foley.
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We fully agree that anyone with knowledge of Mr. Foley’s activities, who then attempted to conceal such activities, should be held accountable. Today, the bipartisan Ethics Committee announced that they will be conducting a complete investigation of the facts surrounding the case.
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We support this decision and also believe that the seriousness of this goes beyond partisan politics and hope that you will join us in demonstrating full cooperation from your Members and political operatives as this investigation continues to unfold.Â
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Just as it must be determined whether any Republican Members or political operatives were aware of and attempted to conceal Mr. Foley’s activities, it must also be determined whether any Democrat Members or political operatives were aware of, and attempted to conceal these same activities.
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Therefore, we respectfully ask that you appear, under oath, before the House Ethics Committee.
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It is in the best interest of this great institution as well as the American people that this matter is cleared up quickly and every Member, regardless of party, should do all within their power to see to that.
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