Aide: Hastert to resist calls to step down (Freeh To Lead Probe?)

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15143036/

Aide: Hastert to resist calls to step down
House speaker to address media amid Foley scandal

CHICAGO - House Speaker Dennis Hastert will meet reporters at around 1 p.m. ET as he faces calls for his resignation over the handling of the page scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley, a fellow Republican.

A Republican source said moments before the conference that Hastert intends to remain as speaker now and for the new term of Congress in 2007.

more:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2006/10/freeh_to_overse.html

Freeh To Lead Page Probe

ABC’s Mark Halperin and Pierre Thomas report: House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) will announce today that former FBI Director Louis Freeh will oversee an investigation of the House page program. The outside investigation will run parallel to the Ethics Committee.

[mtnester]

1. Maybe for now, but think again for 2007 hASSert

I am thinking it will be a DEM

:)

[Virginia Dare]

2. Stay the course of corruption...n/t

[ShockediSay]

39. Hastert smells like corruption IMO even w/out Foley as today's article

re-confirms

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/06/washington/06hastert.html

"In recent years, though, his steady accumulation of wealth through land deals has been scrutinized,particularly after he sold a parcel of land near a federally financed highway project he supported. His net worth, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis this summer, has risen to more than $6 million from $290,000 during his time in Washington."

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Then what the hell is there to announce?

He's already said numerous times that he's not quiting.

[karlrschneider]

5. Damage control.

It's really their only option at this stage.

[zreosumgame]

15. he wants to announce it's all BILL's FAULT damm it!

[deadparrot]

4. Good.

The longer he stays, the more dysfunctional the GOP leadership looks.

[saigon68]

6. Blames Bill Clinton and George Soros

[alfredo]

7. Thank you Dennis. You have just handed the house to us.

[reprobate]

8. The longer he stays the longer he keeps corruption in the public mind.

REPUBLICAN corruption that is.

This is not a good political move for your party, Denny. That's why they want you to resign.

But power is the best aphrodesiac.

[underpants]

9. Source: Hastert Intends to Stay Speaker (ABC)

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2531508

[underpants]

10. Hastert to announce reforms, not resigning (Reuters)

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-10-05T165726Z_01_N05218292_RTRUKOC_0_US-SCANDAL.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C1-topNews-2

[Debi]

13. Why do they need reforms if nobody was hurt and all the pages were safe?

I don't understand. Why do the pages need protection and reformation of the program when nobody was not doing their job? :shrug:

[underpants]

16. Since when do incumbents run on , or promise , reform???

Only in our weird little world.

[central scrutinizer]

11. Yes, twist in the wind

Bushco has your back so hang in there.

[aquart]

12. Why does that require a press conference?

Yeah, Denny. You stay up there, a symbol of perversion and corruption. Go, Denny!

[natrat]

14. Grand Old Poofsters nt

[Cha]

18. Perfect!

denny fatbastert is the biggest reminder there is of the lecherous and treacherous mark foley now that foley's resigned.

[Liberalynn]

21. I liked the one on Stephanie Miller yesterday

Gross Old Perverts. ;)

Go ahead Dumbya stand behind Denny and Donny and all your other dimwits! :dunce: :rofl:

[ripple]

17. Louis Freeh?????

Is this some sort of sick joke?

[Journeyman]

19. Hang in there, Denny! Don't quit!. . .

Give your constituents the pleasure of booting your ass themselves.

[Raine]

20. Yippppeeeee

glad he is staying cause it makes them look worse when he stays. :evilgrin:

[Moderator]

22. k

[smb]

23. Hastert Defiant In Page Scandal

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.foley05oct05,0,488890.story

A defiant House Speaker Dennis Hastert fought yesterday to hold on to his leadership post while fractures appeared among his lieutenants and a former senior aide to Rep. Mark Foley said he had repeatedly warned Hastert's top aide about Foley's inappropriate behavior toward underage pages more than two years ago....

When asked about a groundswell of discontent among the GOP's conservative base over his handling of the issue, Hastert said: "I think the base has to realize after a while, 'Who knew about it? Who knew what, when?' When the base finds out who's feeding this monster, they're not going to be happy. The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros."...

It's a CONSPIRACY, I tells ya!! :eyes:

[CabalPowered]

24. What's better than watching the GOP implode?

Not much.

[acmavm]

25. ABC? The clown organization that broadcast the 911

propaganda crap?

[rodeodance]

26. Hastert apologizes but refuses to resign

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061005/ap_on_go_co/congress_pages;_ylt=AhWjsu5zQkkeh1WtLluLB.Ws0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

Hastert apologizes but refuses to resign

By LARRY MARGASAK 2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The House ethics committee opened an expansive investigation into the unfolding page sex scandal Thursday, approving four dozen subpoenas for witnesses and documents as House Speaker
Dennis Hastert held his ground against pressure to resign.


"I'm deeply sorry this has happened and the bottom line is we're taking responsibility," Hastert, R-Ill., told at a news conference outside his district office.

"Ultimately, the buck stops here," the speaker said of the controversy enveloping the House and the page program, a venerable institution almost as old as the Congress itself.

Hastert was abruptly changing the tactics he has followed since the scandal broke last week. As recently as Wednesday, he blamed Democrats for the scandal and insisted he had done nothing wrong.........

[yellowcanine]

31. "Hastert defiant......" Oh I don't think that is going to help the

situation. Hastert has made a tactical mistake. If he is going to hang on, he needs to be seen as contrite, not defiant. Hastert is following the counsel of Rush Limbaugh rather than reaching out to people who might be able to give him sound advice. If he were smart he would swallow his pride and call up Tom Foley (Former Dem Speaker) and ask him how previous scandals of this kind were handled. Blaming this on the Democrats and the media is not going to work because the obvious question that arises is "if this had not come out now doesn't that mean that pages would still be in jeopardy from Mark Foley?" Of course everyone's answer to that is going to be a resounding YES! So how does blaming the Democrats and the news media help convince people that you really are concerned about the safety of the pages rather than your own political survival? Answer that one Denny.

[rodeodance]

27. Freeh to examine Congress page system

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061005/ap_on_go_co/congress_pages_freeh_2;_ylt=AgdqX4EXFlQgxQhXn2C4eFKMwfIE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2ZGZwam4yBHNlYwNmYw--


Freeh to examine Congress page system

12 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Former
FBI Director Louis Freeh has had a long, high-profile career in law enforcement, experience that could prove useful in his newest job, examining the congressional page system amid a major scandal.


Earlier in his career, Freeh as a federal prosecutor won major convictions in the high-profile Pizza Connection case revolving around drug-trafficking by organized crime. He had been an FBI agent in New York City and at bureau headquarters in Washington.

In 1991, President H.W. Bush appointed Freeh to a federal judgeship. Two years later,
President Clinton nominated Freeh to be FBI director.

In that role, Freeh urged Justice Department superiors to seek an independent counsel to investigate the 1996 presidential fundraising scandal, which focused largely on Democrats and the White House. The Justice Department turned him down.

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. I thought Pelosi objected and the decision was nixed?

[babylonsister]

29. She did, per this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2323669

[rodeodance]

30. yes, you are right. I jsut found this: Pelosi Blocks Hastert

Thu Oct-05-06 02:40 PM
Original message
MSNBC: Pelosi Blocks Hastert From Naming Freeh To Overhaul Page Board Updated at 12:57 PM

MSNBC: Pelosi Blocks Hastert From Naming Freeh To Overhaul Page Board

MSNBC’s Mike Viqueira reports:

Denny Hastert, it turns out, reached out to ex-FBI Director Louis Freeh. He wanted him to head up an overhaul of the page program, but it’s not going to happen now, for the time being anyway.

Hastert gave a call to Nancy Pelosi in Washington today. Nancy Pelosi said no, that’s not good enough. We don’t want an overhaul of the page program. We need a more thorough investigation. That’s something that both Democratic and Republican aides that I’ve just spoken to agree on, that Pelosi refused. So Freeh, for the time being, will not be heading up, as other news organizations have been reporting, will not be heading up…a probe, or an overhaul…of the page program here in the House.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/05/freeh-out/

[BlueInPhilly]

32. Why Louis Freeh?

Did he lose his cushy job at MBNA / BofA?

[bumponalog]

37. I hear he's considering an offer

from NAMBLA. ;-)

[Spazito]

33. Oh geez, Freeh???

Hiring Freeh is proof of attempting a cover-up to cover-up the cover-up, imo. Good for the dems for blocking this if, indeed, they were able to do so.

[mhatrw]

34. Hastert blames liberal conspiracy, yet claims 'buck stops here'

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=321441&rel_no=1

Hastert refuses to resign, blames liberal conspiracy, yet claims 'buck stops here'

House speaker names Louis Freeh to probe page program

At once contrite and defiant, besieged Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert stated that he has no intention of resigning and takes "responsibility" for the handling of the sex scandal involving congressional pages but still refused to distance himself from earlier statements in which he pointed an accusatory finger at Democrats, ABC News and billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Speaking briefly at a press conference Thursday afternoon in his home district in Illinois, Hastert said, "I'm deeply sorry this has happened," adding that "the buck stops here."

Asked when he first learned of the salacious instant messages exchanged between former Rep. Mark Foley and teenaged pages, Hastert replied "last Friday." When pressed on the question, Hastert refused to elaborate. "I don't know who knew what when," he said. "That's why we've asked for investigation."

Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee investigating the scandal met Thursday behind closed doors. At a press conference held at the conclusion of the committee's closed session, Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) admitted that he thought Hastert's general performance as House speaker has been "excellent."

In earlier interviews with the Chicago Tribune and other media, Hastert had pointed the finger at unnamed political opponents, ABC News, which broke the story nationally, and operatives funded by billionaire philanthropists George Soros. "I think the base has to realize after awhile, who knew about it? Who knew what, when? When the base finds out who's feeding this monster, they're not going to be happy. The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros," Hastert was quoted as saying.

[Fresh_Start]

35. GOP to propose changes to page program

In the future,
1) all pages will be fitted with chastity belts.
2) all pages will have their hands tied so they cannot use email
3) all pages will have their feet tied together so they cannot walk to visit with Congressmen
4) all pages will be forced into brainwashing program at the end of page session so they cannot remember anything they saw or heard during their session.

[saigon68]

36. LOL

[HuffleClaw]

38. *snicker* soros?? *snicker* 'democratic operatives'!

(in best yoda voice) playing to the freepers he is, mmmm? desperate he is.