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New Sexual Escapades in Capitol Page Program
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ShareDecember 07, 2007 12:29 PM
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.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
December 7, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (37)
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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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