Washington - US House of Representatives Republican
leaders faced growing pressure over a congressional sex scandal on Tuesday, with
Speaker Dennis Hastert rejecting calls to step down amid Republican fears about
the potential fallout in November's fight for control of Congress.
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., right, addresses the media with Rep.
Jerry Weller, R-Ill., at the Capitol in this 2003 file photo in
Washington. [AP Photo] |
The conservative Washington Times newspaper accused Hastert of barely
pursuing warnings about Florida Rep. Mark Foley's sexual messages to teenage
boys and said in an editorial he "must do the only right thing, and resign his
speakership at once."
Hastert has denied any knowledge of Foley's overtly sexual Internet messages
to male congressional pages until they were made public on Friday, and he
rejected calls for his resignation.
"I'm not going to do that," he said in an interview with conservative radio
host Rush Limbaugh, adding he was trying "to do the right thing."
US President George W. Bush did not respond to questions in California over
whether Hastert should resign, but said he was "confident he will provide
whatever leadership he can to law enforcement" in its investigation of Foley.
"He's a father, teacher, coach who cares about the children of this country,"
said Bush, adding he was "dismayed and shocked" by Foley's behavior.
The scandal was a blow to Republicans and provided fresh ammunition to
Democrats ahead of congressional elections on November 7, when Democrats must
pick up 15 House seats and six Senate seats to claim majorities in each chamber.
Political AD
Additional Internet messages and details of the extent of Foley's contact
with teenage pages surfaced on Tuesday as the scandal became a sensation on
cable news channels, Internet news and chat sites and in political races around
the country.
Minnesota Democratic House candidate Patty Wetterling, whose 11-year-old son
was abducted in 1989 and never found, aired the first campaign ad to feature
Foley. A narrator says Republican leaders covered up Foley's behavior and
"knowingly ignored the welfare of children to protect their own power."
Foley's lawyer said on Tuesday the six-term House veteran is an alcoholic gay
man who was molested by a clergyman when he was a teenager.
"Any suggestion that Mark Foley is a pedophile is false, categorically
false," the attorney, David Roth, told a news conference in Florida.
Foley is at an undisclosed alcohol rehabilitation center and his treatment
will last at least 30 days, Roth said.
Members of both parties, including some leading conservatives, have said any
congressional leader who had known the content of Foley's messages and had
failed to take action should step down.
Conservative activist Richard Viguerie said Hastert should go. "We are not
going to get to the political promised land until we have new leaders, and it's
time for pretty much all of the leaders to leave," Viguerie told CNN.
Taking The Fall
House Republicans held a conference call on Monday to discuss the scandal and
its fallout, with a top Republican Party aide calling the next few days crucial.
"There isn't much time to right the ship," the aide said. "Somebody has to
take the fall."
Conservative and religious leaders expressed unhappiness with the unfolding
scandal and Republican strategists worried some conservative voters would wind
up sitting home on November 7 out of disgust.
"The big danger for Republicans is they are going to reach a tipping point
with the conservative base and they are going to stay home," said Republican
consultant Rich Galen.
The FBI, Florida state investigators and House ethics investigators are all
looking into Foley's communications with pages, who are teenagers assigned to
answer telephones, deliver documents and run other errands for members of
Congress.
Some House Republicans looked into the e-mail traffic between Foley and a
16-year-old boy last spring, which was described to them as "over-friendly," but
House leaders said they were not made aware of explicit messages sent to other
pages.
House Republican leader John Boehner, in an interview with an Ohio radio
station, said Hastert had told him the situation "had been taken care of" and
"my position is it's in his corner, it's his responsibility."
At least one Republicans rallied to Hastert's defense.
"The speaker has led the Congress through dangerous and
important times. His leadership has been steady and consistent, and he has the
strong support of the conference," said Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the third-ranking House
Republican.
