'Democratic operative' shopped Foley e-mails. Now should the Dems be investigated?

Question

Reporter says magazine killed story in May,
2 newspapers had info from source 1 year ago
October 10, 2006

A Democratic operative shopped around the story of disgraced former congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate behavior with male pages more than one year ago, according to Harper's magazine.


In a story posted today on the weekly's website, reporter Ken Silverstein says that in May he received copies of the now-infamous e-mail exchanges between Foley and a 16-year-old page.


Silverstein said that one year ago his unnamed source provided the same material to the St. Petersburg Times and, he "presumes," the Miami Herald, which both decided against publishing the stories. The two papers already have acknowledged receiving copies of the e-mails ? the Times said it didn't run the story because the e-mails contained "nothing overtly sexual," and the boy and his family wouldn't speak on the record.




The Harper's reporter wrote a story after receiving the e-mails in May, but the magazine did not publish it, he said, "because we didn't have absolute proof that Foley was, as one editor put it, 'anything but creepy.'"


In the e-mails ? which were not sexually explicit but, nevertheless, troubled the teens' parents ? Foley requested a photograph and asked what the 16-year-old wanted for his birthday. Later, Foley's salacious instant-message exchanges with another teen prompted his resignation.

Silverstein said, "At the time I was disappointed that the story was killed ? but I must confess that I was also a bit relieved because there had been the possibility, however unlikely, that I would wrongly accuse Foley of improper conduct."


Silverstein said he also was provided with several e-mails the page sent to the office of Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who had sponsored the teen when he worked on Capitol Hill.


The Harper's reporter contends the Democratic operative was "genuinely disgusted" by Foley's behavior and had no partisan intent, because the e-mails might originally have come from Republicans, and the operative was not working "in concert" with the Democratic Party.





If this was all a plot to hurt the GOP's chances in the midterm elections, why did the original source for the story begin approaching media outlets a full year ago? If either of the Florida papers had gone to press with the story last year, or if Harper's had published this sprin

THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT FOLEY'S ORENTATION OR ABOUT THE EMAILS AND IM'S. tHIS IS ABOUT WHAT THE DEMS KNEW AND WHY DIDN'T THEY REPORT IT WHEN THAT GOT COPIES OF THE EMAILS. o THOUGHT THE DEMS. WERE ALL ABOUT PROTECTING THE CHILDREN.

Answer 1

The Demoncraps are not a party with a platform so they must smear their opponent. They also rely on character assassination. They try to paint one bad Republican to make all Republicans look bad.

They call Republicans the party of corruption but they ignore their own parties failures. Look back at Senator Jefferson's illegal $100,000 bribe. We aren't hearing about it on the news because the news is bought and paid for by the liberal left. Is the FBI investigating this illegal act? Maybe.... but we'll never know will we?

I'm just waiting for the first liberal to come up with something that says Bush and North Korea are in kahootz just to get Folley out of the news. Some peoples children! What is the age of consent where this crime allegedly occured? The lad was hardly a child and he in fact led Folley on!

Oh and there are well known homosexual Demoncraps. I think they need to be investigated as well just in case they too may have broken the law.

Answer 2

The page was 18 years old. 16 is the age of consent in Washington DC.
That being said what Foley did disgusts me but democrap operatives using this for political gain disgusts me more. They can't run on issues the only thing they can do is degrade someone else. Imagine the democrat party is gay bashing. Who'd of thought? LOL!

Look at the history of democraps.
mel reynolds, bill clinton, gerry studs and the list could go on. What did the democraps do during these scandals? They circled the wagons.

What foley did foley should be held responsible for and nobody else.

Answer 3

O-kay...I don't see how democrats are to blame for this guy being a homosexual pedophile. What is with the republicans trying to blame the other side for this? This guy, a republican senator, is to blame for his actions and not his party and definently not some guy who was trying to get him busted a year ago. I'm not even sure what your point is.

Edit: oh I see, you are trying to say that a democrat tried to bust him simply for political gain. This is literally stupid, Foley is a child molestor and deserved to be stopped a year ago no matter who did it.

edit3: I love how people are stuttering and stammering and saying things like "oh well, look at bill clinton, the democrats have liars and perverts too" which is hilarious. See the republicans have to be MORE moral than the democrats because that is their thing. Republicans are all about the missionary position and the two point five kids and the sixty dollar hair cut. If they don't stand for these things then what the heck do they stand for? A republican senator who basically spits on this shiny reputation makes the wags see red because they can't do anything about it.

Also, there is nothing wrong with being homosexual, the focus here is pedophile and the fact that republicans don't endorse homosexuality. Democrats are laughing because heck, we don't see anything wrong with being gay but when republicans come out as gay it makes them a hypocrite.

edit: Your post is saying that a democrat TRIED to shop this around but several newspapers wouldn't take it. There is no story here except that people were afraid there wasn't enough proof to accuse a senator of pedophilia. The papers were scared, not the reporter.

Answer 4

Do you have any data he's a rapist? i'm uninterested in loopy genuine wing nuts who accuse Clinton of the main ridiculous issues. Why do not you hit upon some data showing that he's a rapist after which you will learn him to Foley?

Answer 5

Foley still wrote the email... and IMs (those are the really scary things)... is trying to expose a possible pedophile a crime now?

so they were trying to out him a year ago and no one would listen... I think that's a good thing... I think it should have been outed before now...

I mean... can you investigate someone for trying to out a pedophile?

Cambion7: you're right... Republicans handeled the Cinton matter so professionally didn't they? HAHAHAHA... awww, is someone mad because the dems are using the SAME EXACT TACTICS THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE USED FOR YEARS?


EDIT: CAN YOU READ? THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO IS REPORT IT TO THE MEDIA? DON'T YOU SEE YOUR POST IS SAYING THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT AS SOON AS THEY KNEW AND NO ONE WAS LISTENING?

Answer 6

Democrats probably encouraged Foley.
Democrats are the Party of Perversion.

Answer 7

i've heard this story too. when the "operative" could not get his asking price, it went to a "non-partisan" ethics commitee or something. (does that mean an equal number of d's and r's or something else?) this commitee then referred it to the fbi, and again nothing. i see LOTS of people NOT protecting our children here.....individuals and organizations.

Answer 8

The story was killed...wonder why?...cause it was not true?
QuestionW... I was referring to the asker...I am well aware of Mr. Foley's perversion

Answer 9

This doesnt show any link to the democratic party at all. It is mere speculation and damage control.

Answer 10

Another neocon lie.