The Ethic Committees REPORT on 'FoleyGate' is full of interesting tidbits. For example The Info That Rep. Kolbe knew about graphic IM's in 2001, and also told a page involved to 'not talk to anybody' about the IM's.
But it gets better. Well I dont know if a story about predatory behavior can be defined as 'better' but, it definately gets more interesting.
TPMmuckraker points out this rather large nugget about Dennis Hasters counsel Ted Van Der Meid:
According to [House Clerk Jeff Trandahl], he raised his concerns about Rep. Foley to Van Der Meid "pretty often" in the context of raising similar concerns he had relative to Van Der Meid's over-involvement with pages assigned to the Speaker's office. Trandahl testified, "So here is my point of contact in the Speaker (sic), and I'm trying to have the conversation about him specifically, but also in a general sense." According to Trandahl, while Van Der Meid understood his concerns "politically," Van Der Meid's "pushback" was that "there is nothing wrong with people being mentors and caring about the kids." Trandahl responded that the page program had paid professionals to serve those functions. Trandahl felt that "there needed to be a very clear line between the page program and people who worked up here [in leadership]."
Van Der Meid is no stranger to me or the DKOS recommended list. My previous diary Hastert Office Blocked Corruption Probe detailed Van Der Meids past attempts @ blocking investigations:
Two former House committee investigators who were examining Capitol Hill security upgrades said a senior aide to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert hindered their efforts before they were abruptly ordered to stop their probe last year.
The former Appropriations Committee investigators said Ted Van Der Meid, Hastert's chief counsel, resisted from the start the inquiry, which began with concerns about mismanagement of a secret security office and later probed allegations of bid-rigging and kickbacks from contractors to a Defense Department employee.
As I pointed out in that diary:
Van Der Meid was one of the first to know about Mark Foley's chat sessions with young pages.
But at the time had no idea just how 'involved' in the ordeal he was.
Americablog has more on the Ethics Committee Investigation. (if you can really call it that). Including the following:
House Ethics Committee gay-baits: Says possible reason GOP didn't investigate perv congressman was because GOP was too pro-gay
House Ethics report says there's nothing they can do about Foley because he's already left Congress - and oh yeah, he still gets his big fat pension
GOP Page Board chair didn't tell Democratic panel member about Foley complaint because "he's a Democrat"
GOP Rep. Kolbe alleged to have obstructed justice
House Ethics Report: Staff and Members actions in Foley scandal posed "a present danger to House pages" - therefore, no one should be disciplined