The Hurst campaign this morning issued a press release:
"The disturbing revelations of inappropriate e-mail and instant messenger communications between Congressman Mark Foley and underage pages working at the Capitol have shocked our collective consciousness. But perhaps more shocking is the fact that Republican leaders knew about these communications and did nothing.The idea that members of Congress could sit by and watch while underage pages were preyed upon is almost too much to believe.
My opponent, Tom Davis, highlights his leadership and clout on Capitol Hill as reasons to re-elect him. But leadership is about much more than building pork-barrel projects and holding meaningless hearings. Leadership is about standing up for what's right even when it might get you in trouble with your friends.
So today, I call on Congressman Davis to do the following things:
* Immediately disclose any personal knowledge you had of Rep. Foley's electronic communications. Various members of the Republican leadership knew of the illicit emails and did nothing. As a committee Chairman and former head of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, you must have been privy to these conversations. What, exactly, did you know and when did you know it?
* Call for the immediate resignation of Republican leaders like Tom Reynolds and Dennis Hastert who knew about the illicit communications for years but failed to investigate. Those who put politics ahead of the safety of children do not deserve to serve in Congress. Don't you agree?
* Use your position as Chairman of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee to open a full and complete investigation to determine who knew what and when. You had no qualms issuing a subpoena to Terri Schiavo as she lay on her death bed. Will you subpoena Hastert, Reynolds and others who failed to protect underage pages from a sexual predator?
* Demand that National Republican Campaign Committee Chair Tom Reynolds donate to charity any funds given by Rep. Foley to the NRCC. As NRCC chair, you accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from Mark Foley. Will you call on Rep. Reynolds to donate those funds?Congressman Davis' Government Reform and Oversight committee has responsibility to oversee federal programs, including the Page program. What kind of oversight did the committee provide in this instance? Not much, it appears.
Congressman Davis claims the benefits of leadership, but thus far has accepted none of the burdens."
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
Foley was one of the first dozen who donated $100,000 to Davis's RNCC, putting Davis in the "million dollar club" for fund-raising. They knew each other pretty well then. Let's see how Davis runs backward from their relationship now to protect his "plausible deniability." I find it implausible.
He released it in a press conference with Tom DeLay.
regardless, who cares? nobody cares about this.
Thanks for making sure all our readers see it!
Tom Davis admits he signed it, but only when he's pressed for the Truth.
At the time, Tom Davis made a public announcement, joining with those bastion of morals, "Hot Tub" Tom DeLay, and child pedophile enabler Dennis Hastert, when Davis said:
"This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety. This fight is not over."