GOP Staff Warned Pages About Foley in 2001 (5 yrs ago)

[uppityperson]

Edited to add, ABC just edited this story, and cut out the "foley is gay" line which is great as this brings the focus on the main issue, sexual predator and the coverup.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2514259&page=1

A Republican staff member warned Congressional pages five years ago to "watch out" for Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page.

Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class, told ABC News he and other pages were warned by a supervisor in the House Clerk's office that "Foley is gay."

Loraditch, the president of the Page Alumni Association, said the pages were told "don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff." The GOP staff member named by Loraditch did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Some of the sexually explicit instant messages that led to Foley's abrupt resignation Friday were sent to pages in Loraditch's class....

Edited to add, several people seem to have missed my point so I will try to clarify what I mean by this. I agree, Foley being gay or not is NOT the problem. Being a sexual predator is. The pages were warned not only that he was gay but "don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff." Why would they warn pages to not get wrapped up in his being too nice to you IF he were NOT ALSO a sexual predator towards young people? I am sure there are other gay people in Congress, but did any of them get pages warned about their gayhood? Pages got warned to not get wrapped up in Foley being too nice, etc. The problem was known about 5 yrs ago.

[helderheid]

1. Foley is Gay is not the issue - Foley like young boys is. Or girls if it

had been girls.

[uppityperson]

8. Gay is NOT the issue, sexual predator is.

pages were warned 5 yrs ago "don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff." It seems that they were being warned NOT just that he was gay(not a problem) but getting too nice, etc.

[malaise]

2. SO they knew and when they heard about emails

a year ago, the decided the messages were not explicit so they did nothing. Of course in the interim Reynolds did give him $5,000 and did take $100,000 (his largest cottribution) from him. Something stinks here.

[bullimiami]

3. foley being gay would not be a problem. being a predator is.

and the hypocrite thing isnt too keen either.

[uppityperson]

15. Gay is not the issue, sexual predator is. Warned 5 yrs ago about it

why were pages warned 5 yrs ago about him? He has a history going back a long ways I think.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Being Gay has NOTHING to do with Foley being a pedophile.

End of subject. The man belongs in jail.

[uppityperson]

13. I agree, gay is not the issue, sexual predator is.

WHY were pages warned 5 yrs ago to beware this person? NOT just because he was gay, as that is not the issue and I am sure there are plenty other gay people around, but because there was a concern of Foley being "too nice to you and all that stuff". There was a history of him being interested in young people 5 yrs ago. He belongs in jail.

[twilight_sailing]

5. Let's try an analogy

If Foley were a High School teacher who had an obvious interest in High School girls, so much so that the High School girls were WARNED about him, would he have been able to keep his job?

What would have been the fate of those who were complicit in his being able to keep his job?

[uppityperson]

17. for 5 yrs? Indeed.

[Ms. Toad]

18. Yes, but

would anyone have dreamed of warning the high school girls that the high school teacher was straight?

Anyone who knew he was a pedophile and protected him bears some responsibility for the young lives Foley traumatized, and should be dealt with appropriately.

Knowing he was gay is irrelevant.

[uppityperson]

19. Indeed and kudos to ABC for removing that bit.

[Ms. Toad]

30. I was very glad to see that. n/t

[TayTay]

6. How long has Hastert been Speaker

We know that Tom Delay was Majority Leader during most of those 5 years. You mean to tell me that the people in chrage of the pages on a day-to-day basis knew enough to warn these kids away from Foley but Hastert and Delay knew nothing about it?

This doesn't add up and an independent investagator is needed to figure this out. This is too much for the House Ethics Committee and should have an outside investigator.

I tink that at the least, Hastert, Boehner and Delay are in serious trouble and should start to lawyer up real soon. Isn't the most damaging question the one that begins, "What did you know and when did you know it?"

[salin]

10. Since Newt resigned in late 1998.

[Imagevision]

7. Gay-Schmay, we're talking about those who covered-up for Foley

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. Didn't Foley just get elected to Congress 5 years ago?

Sounds like they knew about him from day 1.

[salin]

11. I think he was brought into Congress in the 1994 election

[Cleita]

12. Sexual harrassment no matter whom it is directed toward should

never be tolerated, especially from our elected representatives. It's especially heinous when the victims are children, however, it shouldn't be dismissed no matter how old the victim is. If it was known that this person had a problem he should have been brought up on ethics violations immediately not years later.

If we had strict rules across the board about this kind of victimization, I wouldn't have Arnold as my Governor now.

[kath]

14. Hmmm - looks like they edited out the "warned that...'Foley is gay'" part:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2514259&page=1

A Republican staff member warned Congressional pages five years ago to "watch out" for Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page.


Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class, told ABC News he and other pages were warned by a supervisor to watch out for Foley.


Loraditch, the president of the Page Alumni Association, said the pages were told "don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff."


The GOP staff member named by Loraditch did not return phone calls seeking comment.


Some of the sexually explicit instant messages that led to Foley's abrupt resignation Friday were sent to pages in Loraditch's class.

[uppityperson]

16. They just did that. Wow. Good. Problem is not gay but sex predator

good for ABC to focus on the problem. Very good.

[mcg]

20. A freeper suggesting it's Clinton's fault???

Get a load of this ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1711776/posts

freeper:

"Bush's fault.

Of course if the page was told in 2001 (interesting how that date pops up) then it was going on long before that presidential term."

me:

That's likely, and the House was controlled by republicans. Do you think the republicans would tell Clinton about it???

It's funny how these republicans have such a fixation on Clinton.

[napi21]

21. FIVE YEARS!!! Ohhh, this story isn't going away anytime soon!

I figure it should be good for a new "boy" and a new story at least once a week fora couple of months!!!!

[mom cat]

27. Ding, ding, ding!

[Straight Shooter]

22. Does anyone know if pages are assigned to, or chosen by, Congressmen?

I'm just wondering if Foley was able to choose his pages, and by doing so he could increase his chances of an intimate relationship in the future.

Let me add, I agree the problem is that he is a sexual predator. We must never forget that Monica pursued Bill, not vice-versa. Her friends even indicated that she boasted she would go to Washington and get her "presidential kneepads."

Totally different scenario with Foley, at all levels.

[AIJ Alom]

23. 5 Years of Coverup !!! KR

Foley has been allowed to roam and stalk pages for 5 years !!!

[npincus]

24. OMG- they tried to oust Clinton over a blowjob

but enabled a pedophile because he was on their team???????????????

[ladywnch]

25. let us also not forget what committee this perv chaired...

this guy was in charge of missing and exploited children issues. Talk about putting the fox in charge of the hen house!

Even if the repub didn't do ANYTHING else about removing him they should have at LEAST made him change his committee assignment!

[madmusic]

26. Newt just said it's a "gay relationship" and it's no one's business.

On FoxNews Sunday.

[uppityperson]

28. too bad about that age/power differential, eh newt?

[Ms. Toad]

31. Gee, I kinda wish he really felt that way...

We just celebrated a quarter century of marriage that, according to Newt & company, doesn't exist.

Of course, Foley's problem has nothing to do with whether he is gay or not - it has do do with his fixation on child partners, and it IS the business of anyone who believes our children should be protected from predators.

[gatorboy]

29. Did they warn any of the Democrat pages? n/t