Just found the answer to the question, sort of:
It sounds as if Shimkus didn't tell anyone else, but talked with Foley, who gave the silliest answer to why he asked for a picture- ("I wanted to see that he was all right after Katrina"-pleeeze!) I am guessing Shimkus was hoping the warning would be enough without letting the rest of the board know.
I still think the smartest and classiest thing to do would be to stop being defensive, and just take the smacks. I know as a voter I would be a lot more impressed by someone actually saying he should have done more or better. But I realize hindsight is great,not that I have much of any kind of sight right now. I am so drugged on cold meds that I can only hope I am typing actual sentences.
salem-tc.com
Shimkus defends actions as House Page Board chair
By DENNIS
ROSENBERGER
Editor
Congressman John Shimkus (R-Illinois 19) is defending his record as the chairman of the House Page Board after coming under fire during the past week for the way he and other Republicans in Congress handled past reports of possible improprieties by Republican Florida Congressman Mark Foley.
Foley resigned his seat in Congress late last week after news reports surfaced that he had sent inappropriate e-mails and instant messages to teenagers who had served as Congressional pages.
In a statement issued this past weekend, Shimkus stated that he was made aware of e-mail contact between Foley and a former Congressional page late last year.
"As chairman of the bipartisan House Page Board in late 2005, I was notified by the then Clerk of the House, who manages the page program, that he had been told by Congressman Rodney Alexander about an e-mail exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House page. I took immediate action to investigate the matter," Shimkus said in his statement.
"In that e-mail exchange, Congressman Foley asked about the former page's well-being after Hurricane Katrina and requested a photograph. When asked about the e-mail exchange, Congressman Foley said he expressed concern about the page's well-being and wanted a photo to see that the former page was alright," Shimkus added.
Shimkus' statement continued, "Congressman Foley told the Clerk and me that he was simply acting as a mentor to this former House page and that nothing inappropriate had occurred. Nevertheless, we ordered Congressman Foley to cease all contact with this former House page to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. We also advised him to be especially mindful of his conduct with respect to current and former House pages, and he assured us he would do so. I received no subsequent complaints about his behavior, nor was I ever made aware of any additional e-mails."
However, news reports during the past week did uncover additional alleged contacts between Foley and former Congressional pages in the form of sexually explicit instant messages.
"It has become clear to me today, based on information I only now have learned, that Congressman Foley was not honest about his conduct," Shimkus explained in his statement from last weekend. "As Chairman of the House Page Board, I am working with the Clerk to fully review this incident and determine what actions need to be taken. The House Page Program has been an integral part of the House of Representatives for many decades. Preserving the integrity of the House Page Program is of utmost importance to me and to the House of Representatives, and we intend to uphold and protect its values and traditions."
In a recent press release, Shimkus' Democratic opponent in the upcoming election called for the Congressman to resign his chairmanship of the House Page Board, citing Shimkus' "failure to investigate diligently allegations about Florida Congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate exchange of electronic mail and Internet messages with at least one former page."
Danny L. Stover of Centralia, the Democratic candidate for Illinois' 19th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, claimed that Shimkus neglected his duties as chairman by failing to conduct a more thorough investigation into Foley's actions. Stover's press release expressed concern that "the congressman failed to conduct even a modest investigation of potentially serious wrongdoing. Shimkus, instead, simply accepted the assurances of the accused that nothing inappropriate had taken place."
Stover also expressed concern about the possibility of a cover-up by the Republican House members.
However, in a statement from October 2, Shimkus defended his record as chairman of the House Page Board.
"As the chairman of the House Page Board, I have a responsibility to protect the students participating in the program, and former participants. I have been honored to serve in this role and we have worked hard to make the page program the best program possible," Shimkus said.
"The instant messages Mark Foley reportedly sent to a former page are deplorable. When I learned of these instant messages last Friday from ABC News reports, the very thought of this behavior made me sick. Mark Foley should be ashamed," said Shimkus.
The congressman continued, "The page program is a valuable part of this institution. Pages have played an important role in Congress' operation since the early 1800s. The integrity of the program must be maintained."
"In recent years we have made many improvements, including constructing a new page dorm with state of the art security measures. We've also increased adult supervision for them. In the wake of 9-11, we implemented new enhanced transportation and notification systems for the safety of pages. The safety and protection of our pages has been a top priority in these changes and others," Shimkus said.
He continued, "Last week, I personally met with the current House pages. I told them that we are committed to their safety and protection and that we will stay in constant contact with them."
"In the days ahead, I will be working with members of the Page Board and others, from both inside and outside of the Congress, to make sure pages are safe both when they are in charge and when they return home," Shimkus stated.
The congressman concluded his statement by saying, "As the father of three boys, I am personally mindful everyday of just how difficult it is to protect our children, especially in the world of the Internet and text messages. I am determined to do everything that we can to make sure that this kind of incident will never happen again."
On Thursday, Stover reiterated his feeling that Shimkus should no longer serve as chairman of the House Page Board, calling for Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who has also come under heavy scrutiny as a result of the Foley scandal, to fire Shimkus from the position. Stover asserted that "Representative Shimkus has refused to accept responsibility for carrying out an unacceptably inadequate investigation of allegations that former Representative Mark Foley sent inappropriate, and perhaps illegal, electronic messages to former congressional pages." |
