While the Ethics Panel had some scathing (at least, for Washington DC wonks) words for the Congress in their investigation of improprieties by former Congressman Mark Foley, the panel concluded that no rules had been broken.
On NPR's All Things Considered, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones discusses the Foley scandal.
Former Rep. Mark Foley was described as a "ticking time bomb" for his sexual come-ons to male pages, but Republican lawmakers and aides for a decade failed to protect the teenagers vulnerable to his advances, the House ethics committee concluded Friday. Despite that finding, the panel said no rules had been broken and no one should be punished.
The committee harshly criticized Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., saying the evidence showed he was told of the problem months before he acknowledged learning of Foley's questionable e-mails to a former Louisiana page. It rejected Hastert's contention that he couldn't recall separate warnings from two House Republican leaders.
[..]Overall, the evidence shows that "concerns began to arise about Rep. Foley's interactions with pages or other young male staff members" shortly after he took office in 1995, according to the committee report.
The report, prepared by a four-member subcommittee, described "a disconcerting unwillingness to take responsibility for resolving issues regarding Foley's conduct."Lawmakers and aides "failed to exercise appropriate diligence and oversight" regarding the interactions between Foley and pages, the report said.
Although the committee recommended no punishments, it said the evidence would have subjected Foley to discipline if the Florida Republican had not resigned -- taking himself out of the House's jurisdiction. Read on..
