Letter from John Boehner to the Washington Times:
I disagree with the editorial board of the Washington Times (“Resign, Mr. Speaker,” Oct. 3, 2006). We are all outraged about Mark Foley’s abhorrent and reprehensible conduct. He preyed on children entrusted to our care and he disgraced our institution.
Mr. Foley lied to his fellow members, he lied to the Clerk of the House, and I believe everyone wishes they knew more and knew it earlier so we would have caught Mr. Foley’s lies and deceit. Those of us in the Republican leadership have done our best to provide an accurate chronology of our recollections and conversations with Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA) regarding Mr. Foley, but one thing is certain: no one in the leadership, including Speaker Hastert, had any knowledge of the warped and sexually explicit instant messages that were revealed by ABC News last Friday. Had Speaker Hastert or anyone else in our leadership known about Mr. Foley’s despicable conduct, I’m confident the Speaker would have moved to expel Mr. Foley immediately and turn him over to the appropriate authorities.
Our congressional pages and their parents deserve a fair and full investigation by the Justice Department, and I’m confident they will get one. We also need to know why these messages surfaced only last week, on the final day of legislative business before the November elections. If this evidence was withheld for political purposes, one can only speculate as to how many additional children may have been endangered before this information was finally revealed.
Sincerely,
John Boehner (R-OH)
House Majority Leader