MSNBC reports that Republicans are blaming Foley leak on Democrats

[Armstead]

Mike Vaccharo said a number of Republicans on Capital Hill told him they were suspicious about the timing of the release of this inforamation, and they suspect that the Democrats deliberatly held this information to release close to the election.

So be prepared to the Roive machine to attempt to turn this on Democrats.

[ComerPerro]

1. First off, how is that a leak? And Second, even if they did, so what?

[Armstead]

6. Anyone who had such information and witheld it....

...is either guilty of a crime (witholding evidence) or at the least a serious moral lapse.

Unless the sources of this release of information are known quickly, this charge will muddy the waters.

[ComerPerro]

18. If that's the case, the Repigs are more guilty than Dems

[Armstead]

26. True....But the backstory has to be cleared up soon to deflect this

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

48. Doesn't witholding evidence actually boil down to accessory?

At the very least during, and definitely AFTER the fact... :shrug:

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. That's right - "Pay no attention to the truth....just our spin"...argggh

[tk2kewl]

3. who controls congress?

:silly:

[babylonsister]

4. Who cares WHO leaked it? The behavior is repellent and needs

to be punished, Foley's and the House enablers'. Nice frame though.:eyes:

[shadow 99]

5. It already has in some respects.

The gays on the block are mad about this. They consider it another attack on gays meant to drive a wedge between Republicans at their expense.

[Kire]

45. "the gays"?

[newspeak]

so, it's all about gays?

it's about fifteen and sixteen year old boys--got it, boys. There is nothing wrong with consensual ADULTS having any type of sex they want, but not with children who can be forced or coerced into doing something they find uncomfortable or they do not want. There is also the predatory aspect of it. Are you sure they're gay or pedophiles? Do they know the difference? It's also about a party yelling as loudly and repetitiously they are the party of family values, they are the party of morality, they are the party of accountability, they are the party of God----when most are none of those things---they are, however, the party of power, lying, hypocrisy and corruption.

[grytpype]

7. The DEMS deliberately held the info?

Jesus, Repugs will say anything. They will say any goddamned thing.

They better start checking the kerning and font on those emails in a big hurry.

[abluelady]

8. I Hope The Dems Leaked It

Why can't they play the game with Karl? Unfortunately, in this case the "kill the messenger" talking point is what will be on the MSM.

[Armstead]

19. The problem would be the timing

If some Democratic operative just received this information and fed it to the media right away, it would be sleazy but not illegal.

However, if any Democrats received and knew of this before but kept it locked away until just before the election, that would be a different matter.

[abluelady]

55. Being A Good Dem

I assumed the first option you gave! But I take exception of your word "sleazy." I think it is the ethical thing to do when children are involved.

Absolutely it is wrong if they knew and withheld the information regardless of whether it is election time or not.

[BattyDem]

Reminds me of their Abu Ghraib "outrage"

They have no problem with the offense, they're just pissed off that it was made public! :eyes:

[Libby2]

9. I hope they did.

As they well should, as the repukes should have done.
Protecting this slime, while putting young people at risk.

[FormerDem06]

10. So at lunch today I was told that the group that broke the news

should be investigated to see if they held onto this for seven or eight months for election hype. The reasoning from my Republican friend was that if they sat on the really disgusting stuff they should be arrested for endangering children.

What warped thinking.

[Spazito]

25. LOL, so let me get this straight....

they are disgusted that CREW might not have made this public when they found out but have no problem with the repub leadership aiding and abetting a sexual predator by covering up for him?


Oh, and by the way, you might tell your "friends", or whomever you were speaking to, CREW did send the e-mails to the FBI upon receiving them yet the FBI did not start investigating until Friday. Your "friends", or whomever you were speaking to, might want to ask why they waited until Friday and until AFTER the e-mails, etc, became public.

[FormerDem06]

36. The guy is a co-worker...

A genuine "fer us or agin us" guy.

I think I caught him right after Rush's opening half hour; so I didn't hear it, but I can guess where it came from. He doesn't have an original thought in his head to be honest.

Dear Lord, that is just sick thinking. They need to clear out EVERYBODY in Congress engaged in or guilty of protecting people like this.

Gross.

[janx]

52. That explains it.

Limbaugh and his conspiracy theories. Tell your friend at work the truth: ABC broke the news, and other pages who knew Foley bravely talked to ABC and spilled their guts--and their IMs.

[Kire]

46. What is CREW?

[Spazito]

54. CREW is the acronym for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in

Washington. Here is their website:

http://www.citizensforethics.org/index.php

[malaise]

53. Crew sent it to the FBI

What did they do with the information? They covered it up.

[janx]

47. "the group that broke the news"

ABC?

?

[BuyingThyme]

11. Leak?

[sandnsea]

12. Also never heard of Foley warnings

But reaches back to the 70's for warnings about "others". He sure tried to keep the news report that Chris Jansing just read off the air all morning too, with the help of Whorah. I wonder if members of the media shouldn't be held legally accountable for covering up too.

[madmusic]

13. So, they think NO ONE should have investigated?

This too will backlash.

[Justice Is Comin]

14. Yes, it was the Democrat on the page investigation committee

who was never told about the investigation that held it :rofl:

[Duer 157099]

15. I read that this info was turned over to the FBI in JULY n/t

[Spazito]

40. Yes, CREW turned the e-mails over to the FBI immediately upon

receiving them. A question yet to be asked is: Why did the FBI not start their investigation into this until AFTER the scandal became public on Friday? Why did they not investigate upon the receipt of the e-mails they received from CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington).

[malaise]

16. Who gives a fugg

The Rethugs covered this up.

[Spazito]

17. Hastert, in his appearance today also was, in essence, trying

to change the subject from protecting a child predator to who leaked the info and why did they wait until now. The wording being used by the repubs in "asking for investigations" shows very clear intent, imo, to do their usual "look over there" misdirection. It really is truly pathetic and I don't think it is going to work this time.

Oh, and he DIDN'T take questions from the media nor did anyone else who appeared at this "press conference".

[me b zola]

34. Yeah, did you hear the last question as Hastert fled the room?

"why won't you answer questions?"

[Spazito]

38. Yep, they reminded me of cockroaches skittering away when the

light is turned on and the media is starting to shine the "light" on them for a change.

[Avalux]

20. Not gonna work - Dems aren't IN CHARGE.

Delay was and now Hastert is. They can spin it all they want - sux to be them. :D

[WI_DEM]

21. Good! someone had to report that pedophile. Fat ass Hastert wasn't

[LunaC]

22. If the Pugs addressed the problem when they first learned about it

then they wouldn't have to worry about "leaks" later.

Let's stay on point and keep blame where it belongs ---> Pugs KNEW and did NOTHING! Let them try and spin that!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

23. What EXACTLY is their objection?

Hmmm, American parents want to know. ;)

[Sensitivity]

24. CARVILE-BEGALLA WAR ROOM have files on all the Puke Pedofiles

rapists and bribed.

They will be leaking them systematically over the next 4 weeks
-- unless they each quickly RESIGN and go to rehab!

:toast: :rofl:

[bdamomma]

27. they are a desperate bunch aren't they?

sickening, GOP= GROSS OLD PERVERTS

[Pachamama]

28. LET THEM BLAME THE DEMOCRATS! And the Dems should answer back that they

were doing their job to PROTECT THE CHILDREN AND DO WHAT THE GOP CLEARLY DID NOT DO AND SHOULD HAVE DONE!

The GOP protected this pedophile...so let them try to turn it on the Dems...they will fail....

[Double T]

29. Now corporate america (GE) through msnbc is blaming the Dems..........

and supporting rethugs that protect pedophiles. Are these idiots f--king insane???

[TheCowsCameHome]

30. Blaming the Dems? For what? Exposing a perv in their party?

Bring it on, baby. Bring it on.

[DearAbby]

31. A LEAK??

By bringing this vile behavior to light is something WRONG? These freaks have spun themselves so hard, they have no idea what is up or down, right or wrong.

The man should have been reported to the POLICE, and ARRESTED for this behavior. SINCE WHEN is that wrong?

[Armstead]

33. It depends on the timing

What the Republicans are claiming is that Democrats had this information for a while, but held on to it until now, so they could unleash a scandal before the election.

It's probably the usual GOP disinformation, but anyone who knew of this and kept it secret until now would be culpable.

That will be the spin the GOP will use to muddy the waters and deflect attention from themselves in this.

[npincus]

32. Repubs are DEFENDING the right to keep pedophilia a secret?

[Ganja Ninja]

35. Here's the perfect answer for this BS.

Well since the Republican's weren't coming clean we thought it would be in the best interest of the children to expose the pervert from the NAMBLA wing of the GOP.

How long were the GOP leaders planning on letting this go on?

[helderheid]

37. Hastert is a Democrat? Who knew!

[Patsy Stone]

39. And so what?

This is about a FELONY, not a misunderstanding. If they want to blame us for the leak, let 'em.

[ronnykmarshall]

41. Them boys were all democrat plants.

They were trained by the libs!

It's all Clinton's FAULT!!

[newspeak]

42. so, it's not about the action

it's about the leak? These nuts are grasping at straws!!!!

[warrens]

43. Bwahahahaha, "they leaked our secrets about a perv"

No one is going to take THIS shit seriously. Who cares? It's true, and the GOP wasn't EVER going to do anything about it.

[gratuitous]

44. If it had been left up to the GOP

This would have never come out if the GOP had had their way is the way I'm hearing that excuse. Which leads, of course, to about 35 more questions that I'm sure Mr. Hastert and his cohort would rather not answer, either.

Caught figuratively and literally with their pants down.

[Marr]

49. Ok, this is one of those times when the average American's short attention

span is going to hurt the GOP spin rather than help it. Here's how my "five minutes of news per week" brother heard this:

1. Republican pedophile in Congress

2. The GOP leadership covered it up.

3. The GOP is angry because Democrats exposed it.

Even if people accept the GOP spin, it still looks horrible for the Republicans.

[0rganism]

50. the GOP leadership could have done something months ago

blaming Foley's newfound fame on politically-motivated Democratic leakers doesn't even come close to addressing the issues raised by the situation.

Even if true, it's a weak-as-hell talking point that will require more spin than I can imagine possible - EVEN FOR THE GOP-OWNED MEDIA.

Still, Rove has proven himself capable of selling lemons at grapefruit prices before. It'll be interesting to see how he plays this one.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

51. Gee! There's a real surprise! n/t

[bettyellen]

56. then they ought to be thanking democrats for foley's ouster.

or is it a bad time for them to do the right thing? kinda like iraq?

[Garbo 2004]

57. How did emails forwarded to a Republican house member's office get

"leaked" to the media should be the question. Alexander's office had them. Where did they go from there?

Someone's been trying to get this out to the public for months. The "over friendly" emails (which didn't have sexual content) were sent to St. Petersburg Times in November 2005. The SPT interviewed Foley who played it off and tracked down the kid who received them (so he apparently wasn't the one who sent the emails to the paper) and the kid said he didn't want any publicity and would not allow his name to be used. So they didn't run the story. The SPT said they learned that other news organizations later got the same emails but they didn't go with the story either. CREW got the emails months ago.

But early last week a blogger got the emails and posted them. Someone posted a link at KOS (a poster who previously had posted that Foley was known to hit on underage guys on the hill) to draw attention to the blog.

Days later ABC ran the email story. Again, the emails had no sexual content. After running that story the overtly sexual IM's were sent to ABC by former pages.

So it appears that someone was trying to get the subject some public attention since last year. Looks like no news organization would touch the story until the emails finally reached a venue (the blogger) that would publish them.

The kid who received the emails had forwarded them to Alexander's office in Fall 2005. Shortly thereafter the emails and the forward were being sent to the media. If there's a "leak" it appears it began shortly after the emails were sent to a Republican House member's office.

[Homer Wells]

58. These Repukes are so locked into the dirty tricks

method of smearing Dems that they cannot imagine that we are not just like them.

Hey, guys, this particular one you own outright. It is easy for us just to sit back
:popcorn: and watch you tear yourselves apart. Dirty tricks are not even needed now.
You people are your own worst enemy.

:puke:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

59. If that is true

THEN GOOD FOR THEM!