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New Sexual Escapades in Capitol Page Program

December 07, 2007 12:29 PM

Page_program_main A year after the Congressional page program was thrown into turmoil by the Mark Foley scandal, sexual escapades and a shoplifting spree by teenage Capitol aides have ignited new controversy.

Click here for Foley's IM Exchange With Underage Page (Reader Discretion Is Strongly Advised)

Two Republican lawmakers have announced they will quit the panel that oversees the page program. The page program brings 15- and 16-year-old students to Washington to study and work as assistants in congressional offices.

Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.,  said they were not properly informed about two recent incidents involving the young pages, including ones in which pages allegedly performed oral sex on each other.

The Washington Post reported an incident which took place in a page dormitory room, where some pages watched for adults outside while others were in the room spectating.

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Brown-Waite told the Post that the dorm room incident was "not an isolated" one.  According to Congressional Quarterly, another such incident occurred in a dormitory elevator.

A male and female page were allegedly dismissed from the program as a result of the reported sexual activity.

In a separate incident, two pages were reportedly caught shoplifting from the Pentagon City mall in suburban Virginia. CQ said the same PAGES had been nabbed shoplifting from a store in Washington, D.C.'s Union Station, as well. One of the shoplifters was charged with a felony, Brown-Waite and another source told the Post. Both have been dismissed from the program.

"You have learned nothing from the lessons of the Mark Foley scandal," Brown-Waite scolded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in a letter announcing her resignation. Pelosi oversees House Clerk Lorraine Miller, who operates the page program.

Both Brown-Waite and Capito say Miller has failed to alert members in a timely fashion to problems in the page program.  A Brown-Waite staffer told the Hill newspaper the lawmaker believed Miller only informed the page board's Democratic chairman, Rep. Dale Kildee, D-MIch., of the pages' misbehavior.

Kildee's office released a statement claiming the problem had been resolved last month. "In our Page Board meeting of November 9, 2007, the Board unanimously agreed that the Clerk. . . should immediately and simultaneously inform all Members in cases where pages were dismissed," he wrote. "Indeed, that was the case in the most recent incident."

In a separate statement released Thursday, House Clerk Miller defended new page policies implemented under Pelosi. "We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy when faced with rules violations or conduct that is ethically or legally suspect," Miller said. A spokesman for Miller declined to elaborate on the number of recent sexual incidents involving pages.

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December 7, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (37)

User Comments

These shoplifting pages probably have a real future in government...

Posted by: Cardsgal | Dec 7, 2007 12:52:10 PM

.
Just one more failure by the WORST-SPEAKER-EVER to run the House. Pelosi is so incompetent and ineffective, she makes even DickNBush look good.

Voters of San Franciso - get back some dignity for your city and elect Cindy Sheehan to replace this boob.

.

Posted by: ALEX H. | Dec 7, 2007 1:03:32 PM

How predictable. Our D.C. leaders encourage sex and then punish the kids for it. Remember the saying...
'What the elders do in moderation, the kids do in excess."

I would imagine those pages are simply playing "Follow The Leader."

So...who should be getting in the news for bad behavior? It is hard to believe sex is touted as "Bad" when we know the "Good Ole Boy Network" is alive, well and functioning in D.C. and the surrounding suburbs.

REMEMBER:
"Whoever looks on a woman (or man) to lust after them, has committed adultery already with them in the heart, soul and mind."

Hmm....I wonder if there is a more complicated interpretation of that.

Signing Off!

Posted by: Dr. T.D. Vitale | Dec 7, 2007 1:06:49 PM

They're teenagers. What more do yo expect. We were all the same way. Why is it so hard for people to remember the hormones and such raging through your bodies at that age.

Posted by: Lawrence | Dec 7, 2007 1:12:14 PM

Ask HELLary clinton about bill's sexcapades, even after leaving office!
GO OBAMA!

Posted by: pedro | Dec 7, 2007 1:16:07 PM

Holy Baby Jesus!! Politicians are corrupt! I can't believe it...I won't believe it.

Posted by: Drizzay | Dec 7, 2007 1:18:13 PM

Our young adults have taken the clinton era to hart. Bill Clinton did imply that oral sex, wasn't realy sex did he not? And hillary excepted his explanation of the immoral acts he commited did she not? So lets all vote her (Hillery Radom Clinton) to the Presidentcy, so all the different kinds sex acts happening on the streets will be good for all man kind.

Posted by: William F. E. | Dec 7, 2007 1:21:00 PM

In the past, the names of these pages would have been printed and they would have been ridden out of Washington on a rail with tar and feathers. They would have been dismissed as trash not worthy of working on Capital Hill, and no one would have suspected a wider problem in the page program. Today, what passes for acceptable behavior among ignorant animals in the bayou is considered sophisticated and even expected behavior by a weary American public too jaded by reality TV. It is no longer considered important to have principles. It is only important to be famous. Perhaps we should just surrender to Al Queda and fade away. :)

Posted by: Sean O'Brien | Dec 7, 2007 1:21:06 PM

This is just kid stuff...can we get some real news here?

Posted by: VeteranD | Dec 7, 2007 1:25:05 PM

Say what? What are these two Republican blow-hards blaming Pelosi for? the Clerk that operates the page program dismissed the pages that were misbehaving immediately. Thats her JOB. And Pelosi wasnt in power at the time of the Foley Scandal, that was (R)Dennis Hastert and these kids' actions had nothing to do with a Lawmaker as well Hastert knew for years about it, which constitutes a coverup of criminal acts by a Lawmaker.
These kids did their own thing and paid for it already. Done. What are these Republicans asking for? oh thats right, something completely different they can relate one of thier own scandals to. yeah. whatever.

Posted by: FormerRepub | Dec 7, 2007 1:36:33 PM

Teenagers having sex with each other? How shocking.

Posted by: ntsc | Dec 7, 2007 1:49:26 PM

Sex, sex, sex, good God, the way we write about it these days you would think this was discovered yesterday. For the love of Moses stop writing about this crap anymore and for those writers that have nothing better to report on, start having some sex, maybe you can clear your mind and start reporting on something that's worthy of reporting.

Posted by: ruben | Dec 7, 2007 1:54:05 PM

How come the pages have to have more morals than the people they work for. I think our Congress people should maybe think of setting a better example. The pages are not supposed to set the example for them.

Posted by: carol | Dec 7, 2007 2:08:01 PM

The teens are just immitating the politicians. That is part of the culture in Washington DC. That is why the politicians are not dong much about it. Does that surprise anyone here? I would not allow my teenagers anywhere near those corrupt perverts. If you let your teens anywhere near there, your children should be removed from your home and you should be arrested for endagering your children.

Posted by: Carl_1970 | Dec 7, 2007 2:12:31 PM

They can only enlist monks and nuns in the Page program from now on.

Posted by: Xiaer | Dec 7, 2007 2:13:49 PM

Regardless of hormones. Even teenagers are able to control themselves.

Posted by: gtp | Dec 7, 2007 2:17:38 PM

Were are the Uniqes? WE need them NOW? Or is that not allowed!

Posted by: art | Dec 7, 2007 2:29:36 PM

Even though these young pages are working under the Bush administration, lets blame their behavior on Bill Clinton. figures. Republicans have such a hang up about sex, and if anyone is having it, it has got to be because of Bill Clinton. At least no one died because he had sex - more than I can say of the Bush administration. Grow up people. Put the blame where it belongs. Teenage kids do have sex and it has NOTHING to do with Bill Clinton. And Dizzay - yes you are - and Doppay as well.

Posted by: sunny | Dec 7, 2007 2:32:33 PM

Stealing is BAD. Shoplifting is NOT GOOD FOR CONSUMERS and results in all of our prices increasing. Let's turn the "PAGE" on shoplifting.

Experimenting in intimate relations is part of growing up, but 15/16 is SO YOUNG!! My wife Debby is happy I waited so long and we now discover special joys together AS ADULTS. Let this be a lesson to all those teenyboppers!!

Posted by: Leo G. | Dec 7, 2007 2:34:38 PM

This would make a great reality tv show.

Posted by: Neo Politicus | Dec 7, 2007 3:18:33 PM

Someone wrote
Even though these young pages are working under the Bush administration, lets blame their behavior on Bill Clinton. figures. Republicans have such a hang up about sex, and if anyone is having it, it has got to be because of Bill Clinton. At least no one died because he had sex - more than I can say of the Bush administration. Grow up people. Put the blame where it belongs. Teenage kids do have sex and it has NOTHING to do with Bill Clinton. And Dizzay - yes you are - and Doppay as well.

Lets see Nancy Pelosi is responsible for alerting the commitee of any violations in policy regarding the interns....and failed to do so....and it's Bushes fault. Grow Up and smell the coffee

Posted by: Disgusted | Dec 7, 2007 3:30:18 PM

Young republicans in training, up to no-good just like the old republicans

Posted by: Squierghia74 | Dec 7, 2007 3:38:11 PM

sunny sez "At least no one died because he had sex - more than I can say of the Bush administration."

to which I say "Waco" and "cruise missile hits aspirin factory during blue dress escapade"

Stay on topic, kabeesh?

Posted by: platypus | Dec 7, 2007 4:20:50 PM

Rep Foley never did face felony charges for child solicitation. I guess the powerful really are above the law.

Posted by: ken lewis | Dec 7, 2007 4:21:41 PM

Two Repbulican lawmakers, who oversee the program - THE ONES RESPONSIBLE - quit and blame Nancy Pelosi. How sad and pathetic. As a kid, I was taught to take responsibility for your mistakes. In the world of the GOP, you simply point a finger at an evil Democrat.

Posted by: Bill | Dec 7, 2007 5:03:18 PM

Lets see Nancy Pelosi is responsible for alerting the commitee of any violations in policy regarding the interns....and failed to do so....and it's Bushes fault. Grow Up and smell the coffee

Posted by: Disgusted | Dec 7, 2007 3:30:18 PM

My point being that "Drizzay | Dec 7, 2007 1:18:13 PM" puts this off on Bill Clinton. Again, if sex is involved, Bill Clintion's name always comes up. Maybe it is Pelosi's job to notifiying the committee - but I also assume it is someone's job to notify Pelosi first. This just gets OLD that Bill Clinton's name is always brought up. Just get over it people.

Posted by: sunny | Dec 7, 2007 5:15:00 PM

Here's a few of the GOP "family values crew: Mark Foley,Rudy Guiliani,Ted Haggard,Newt Gingrich. All are perverts,and degenerates.

Posted by: AJ | Dec 7, 2007 8:08:33 PM

How about that Senator Craig? Another GOP pervert!!

Posted by: AJ | Dec 7, 2007 8:10:19 PM

Of course Pelosi has "learned nothing from the ... Foley scandal," because there was nothing to learn. The Foley "scandal" had nothing to do with "learning" or "reforming." It was a media-driven triviality, an October surprise that the MSM knew of months earlier, a MSM "ace in the hole" that the pulled out at just the right time in the 2006 campaign season, in order to discourage religious right votes from voting Republican. In doing so, they contradicted themselves at many turns and peddled the same kind of "homophobic bigotry" they would oppose others doing, but the ends justified the means, I suppose.

Posted by: Puggg | Dec 8, 2007 12:46:28 PM

The worst thing about an American President doing something that he has to hide from his wife and the public is the possibility of being coersed or blackmailed, threatened or persuaded in ways that are not in the publics best interest. How many of you democrats who supported Bill Clinton arent smart enough to realise this? Wouldnt someone who is having illicit sex with the president have more influence over him than you and me? Did we vote for this type of secret influence?

Posted by: THINK PEOPLE | Dec 8, 2007 6:39:05 PM

Oh please, some of you comment writers... get a clue, this isn't a Washington thing, it's not a Congress thing or a Democrat or Clinton thing. Come on people, the reality is that 15 and 16 year old kids ARE having oral sex, are experimenting sexually AND abstinence programs are a silly failure. These kids are a reflection of our Britney Spears, booty-dancing youth culture growing up in every single home town across America.

Posted by: Rick_VT | Dec 8, 2007 7:09:11 PM

Still against term limits ? Both the Dems & Repubs have been too long in power. Power breeds corruption.

Posted by: cl1107jrf | Dec 9, 2007 12:42:38 AM

Like it or not 15 and 16 year old adolescents have relationships just as adults. Naturally they are not going to be as responsible as an adult with sex, they are just kids. Why is this even in the news?

Posted by: mike | Dec 9, 2007 2:15:56 AM


In reference to the post by "THINK PEOPLE", Condi Rice, as Secetay of state, AMONG OTHER THINGS, would be the most powerful woman on the planet!

Posted by: staray | Dec 9, 2007 5:51:02 AM

So what is the problem???? At least they are not killing people like DICK-N-BUSH are...

Posted by: Joe MUrphy | Dec 10, 2007 2:34:48 PM

we need 15 and 16 year old kids as pages why? How about college bound 18 and 19 year olds? Who does background checks on these kids before they go out, who is supposed to be supervising them while they are there? how is this Pelosi's fault? Did she personally pick the kids, was she directly responsible for their oversight? Seems to me tha this program has been around for a while and this is NOT the first time this has happned, only the first time it has been reported about.

Posted by: Louis | Dec 11, 2007 11:50:08 AM

Some kids behaved badly. Call their mama, send them home and get some new ones who know how to act. I assume these were kids mishaving with their peers and no adults were involved. That sort of stuff is nothing new. Get on to something important.

Posted by: Sherri Hutton | Dec 14, 2007 9:45:25 AM

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