The following transcript is from an interview from today between Claudine Ewing, Reporter, WGRZ Buffalo, and Congressman Tom Reynolds. It was locally aired at 5:40 pm EST. These are the exact words spoken; some of it doesn't make much sense, but that might be due to the station's editing process of the taped interview.
ANCHOR: The FBI is getting involved in the case of former Congressman Mark Foley. Last week, the Florida Representative abruptly resigned when it was reported that he had sent underaged boys inappropriate online messages. The FBI now wants to know if any federal laws were broken
The fallout from this scandal extends far further than just Foley. Tonight, WNY Congressman Tom Reynolds is involved as well. Two on Your Side's Claudine Ewing joins us live from the Buffalo Airport where she spoke with the congressman just one hour ago. Claudine, what did Mr. Reynolds have to say?
EWING: Well, Pete, as you all know, the congressman's name has come up very often and of course our question to him has to do with what did he know about these emails. Well, when he arrived here at the airport I had a chance to talk with him about the scandal that has certainly rocked Washington.
(start tape)
REYNOLDS: In the spring of this year, Rodney Alexander came to me on the house floor and told me that a page that he had sponsored had received, after at least as I understood it, after he came back from being a page, some overly friendly emails from Congressman Foley.
(tape split)
From that information, told the speaker.
(tape split)
As a father and a grandfather, ah, that anyone would ah, put together an insinuation of ah, of my acts to coverup , ah, any of this, ah, from ah, day one.
EWING: because your name has popped up on this and because there is a heated race that you're in right now, are you concerned - do you fear - have you fear?
REYNOLDS: (mood is lightening up, smile is coming to his face) First of all, I just want the facts out. Today, having Channel 2 right here, I have an opportunity to get the facts out which is why I'm here and I want to make sure that ah, that information comes out to the public.
(tape split)
EWING: No reason to think that you will resign?
REYNOLDS: Absolutely not!
(end of interview)
EWING: And, Congressman Reynolds says he welcoms an Ethics Investigation as well as the FBI getting involved.
(end of segment)
That's all I have for now; unfortunately, I didn't set my VCR to tape the part that aired after 6:00 pm. I do remember, though, Reynolds saying that there were two different sets of email, the one that he spoke of above, which he had considered overly friendly chit-chat, and the other that ABC reported on this past Friday. He said that was when he learned of the second set. The spin is in, folks.
UPDATE: 8:50 pm. In the recent diary,
"NY-26 Jack Davis, Tom Reynolds' opponent, speaks out" by Steve WFP, this
comment from juls:
this from AmericaBlog. Reynold's Chief of Staff was loaned out to his former boss, Foley to manage the scandal. He tried to broker a deal w/ABC to not have the IMs get out. They would give an exclusive if the reporter would not release the explicit IMs. ABC said no deal. This should cause serious headaches for Reynolds.
From the article that juls links:
BREAKING: Cong. Tom Reynolds' (R-NY) chief of staff tried to get ABC to cover-up evidence of Foley predatory sex chat
It's confirmed. Congressman Tom Reynolds' (R-NY) chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, tried to broker a secret deal last Friday to get ABC News to cover up the worst part of the Foley child predator scandal, ...
Wonder what the FBI's going to think about this?