Hoekstra Has Lost His Mind
U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra (R-2, Holland), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Arizona) issued a statement late last week in which they criticized Democrats for continuing to be upset about the Foley child sex scandal. They, like many conservative pundits, invoked a comparison between the Foley incident and a scandal involving former Congressmen Gerry Studds in 1983.
Quite frankly, I feel that Congressman Hoekstra has lost his mind on this one.
Yes, Mark Foley is gone from the U.S. House of Representatives.
Yes, he will likely face criminal prosecution for his actions with a teenage boy.
However, neither of these things are what have most Americans in an uproar. Democrats, and everyone else for that matter, have faith in the criminal justice system and are confident that Foley will meet an adequate punishment.
The problem lies with the fact that the Speaker of the House, Congressman Dennis Hastert of Ohio was informed of Foley’s conduct more than three years ago. Rather than report it to law enforcement authorities or insist that Foley resign from office, he covered the whole affair up.
Just like Watergate, the real scandal isn’t that someone in public office did something wrong. The scandal lies in the cover-up.
Speaker Hastert knew about Mark Foley’s conduct. He was told about by Republican Members of Congress and he did nothing about it. If Hastert had acted when he was originally briefed, this matter would have been old news by now.
But he didn’t act.
He covered it up.
As a result, this will continue to be an issue for as long as Dennis Hastert occupies the Speaker’s chair.
Quite frankly, I feel that Congressman Hoekstra has lost his mind on this one.
Yes, Mark Foley is gone from the U.S. House of Representatives.
Yes, he will likely face criminal prosecution for his actions with a teenage boy.
However, neither of these things are what have most Americans in an uproar. Democrats, and everyone else for that matter, have faith in the criminal justice system and are confident that Foley will meet an adequate punishment.
The problem lies with the fact that the Speaker of the House, Congressman Dennis Hastert of Ohio was informed of Foley’s conduct more than three years ago. Rather than report it to law enforcement authorities or insist that Foley resign from office, he covered the whole affair up.
Just like Watergate, the real scandal isn’t that someone in public office did something wrong. The scandal lies in the cover-up.
Speaker Hastert knew about Mark Foley’s conduct. He was told about by Republican Members of Congress and he did nothing about it. If Hastert had acted when he was originally briefed, this matter would have been old news by now.
But he didn’t act.
He covered it up.
As a result, this will continue to be an issue for as long as Dennis Hastert occupies the Speaker’s chair.
