Perhaps `outing' is too strong a word for what the Washington Post has just done, but the newspaper has published the name of the former House page who had his reputation smeared by several right-wing hate blogs. Most likely, this was the person who released Mark Foley's sexually explicit instant messages to ABC News. The young man, who is a student at the University of California, had taken time off this year to work as deputy campaign manager for Rep. Ernest Istook. Istook is the Republican candidate running for governor of Oklahoma. The page's real name is repeatedly used in the
WaPo article:
The young man has hired a lawyer, Stephen Jones, who will not acknowledge whether his client was the one who corresponded extensively with Foley for nearly a year. Jones said he is going public with his client's name to help him fend off conservative attacks and a barrage of media inquiries. He said he will represent his client when he is interviewed early next week by the FBI.
Stephen Jones is the Oklahoma City trial lawyer and Republican party member who represented Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing case. Mr. Jones has previously contributed $5,000 to Rep. Istook's campaign for governor in Oklahoma, but Jones said he will not be paid by Istook.
In recent days, some blogs have published reports that the exchanges were a prank and that the teen in the messages, who seems uncertain about his sexual orientation, was actually trying to solicit sexually suggestive messages from Foley. Jones said: "It was not a prank, not a practical joke, that pages played on a congressman."
Mr. Jones said in the Washington Post article that the former page had "demonstrated integrity" in cooperating with the probe into Rep. Foley's conduct. Jones also said of the young Republican staffer that, "I don't think he intended for any of this to become public. I think he'd like to have his privacy respected. I told him I thought he was a victim."
The former congressional page, who is now 21 years of age, was also named yesterday in an article printed in The Oklahoman. In the article, Rep. Istook said, "This is a young man who is bright and hardworking. He does not deserve the public embarrassment that he now faces. ... What he needs and deserves is Christian compassion."
Mr. Jones, the lawyer, continued by saying of the former page,
"He was a minor when the alleged events described in the media occurred. He retained me ... to guide and assist him through a difficult investigative and media onslaught because he thought I might be able to help him.
"He has authorized me to say that if he has any relevant information on the matters involving Congressman Foley, he will voluntarily present it to any appropriate official authority."
Jones confirmed he has been in contact with the FBI and that his client has left Oklahoma.
ABC News reported Foley had Internet sex with the former page before a vote. In one exchange, Foley wrote, "I miss you lots since san diego." The page is from the San Diego area. His father is a retired doctor while his mother is a schoolteacher, a friend said. He was a page from September 2001 to June 2002.
Now we're getting somewhere. Put together, these two articles allow us to gain some insight into the criminal investigation of Congressman Foley that is now unfolding. First, we have learned that the page
"was a minor when the alleged events described in the media occurred". This ups the legal ante for Foley, as well as for the Republicans. No more speculation as to whether minors were involved in this case -- Hastert is defending a sexual predator who stalked a minor. Secondly, this young man is going to be interviewed by the FBI early next week, which gives us some idea as to the pacing of this investigation. Thirdly,
this young man is a Republican, and he works for a very conservative Republican candidate in Oklahoma. Why would a young Republican with a bright future ahead of him in the Republican party participate in a smear campaign allegedly orchestrated by the Democrats, as Speaker Hastert has suggested? And finally, we now know that the scandal will become bigger instead of smaller. The Republican campaign of `blame the victims' has backfired on them by forcing this kid to lawyer up. His attorney is a man who has extensive experience in handling intense media scrutiny under adverse conditions, and I doubt that this guy will take any prisoners. Whether or not criminal charges are brought against former Rep. Foley, Mr. Jones will have Foley in court seeking civil damages for his client. Who knows, maybe Mark Foley and the former page can come to some agreement outside of court and settle this thing amicably. Alternatively, perhaps Steve Jones is a Republican fixer brought in to keep this whole thing quiet. Whatever is going on, now that one of the victims has lawyer up, numerous other victims may come out of the woodwork and demand damages from Mr. Foley. If the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in recent years is any indication, more victims are standing in the wings hoping for justice. They might soon decide to take center stage and demand it.