Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is once again leading the GOP in the same old dirty tricks:
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has brought 52 fellow Republicans together on a letter demanding the resignation of Kevin Jennings, the White House’s "safe schools czar."
King, who has accused Jennings of being "the poster-boy of NAMBLA," wrote:
Equally troubling is Mr. Jennings’ self-described history of ignoring the sexual abuse of a child. In his book, One Teacher in Ten, Mr. Jennings recounts a 15-year old student confiding in him that he had a sexual relationship with a much older man. Mr. Jennings’ only response was to ask if the underage boy used a condom. As a mandatory reporter, Mr. Jennings was required by law to report child abuse, including sex crimes. Mr. Jennings cannot serve as the "safe schools" czar when his record demonstrates a willingness to overlook the sexual abuse of a child.
As Greg Sargent also notes, King's story is false -- pure fantasy along at least three dimensions:
- Jennings has never praised NAMBLA.
- The boy Jennings counseled had no sexual contact with the man he had met during a bus trip. Unlike earlier claims by King, they did not meet in a bathroom. The boy and the man simply had a discussion about being gay.
- Even if they had sexual relations, the boy was not fifteen. He was 16 -- the age of consent in Massachussets.
Steve King's attack doesn't tell us anything about Kevin Jennings or the Obama Administration, but it tells you everything you never wanted to know about the vivid imagination of King and 52 of his GOP colleagues.