Reid: GOP Ignored Foley Sexploitation “To Preserve A Congressional Seat This Election Year&#82

Josh Marshall posts a statement from Senate Minority Leader Reid. REID DEMANDS ATTORNEY GENERAL INVESTIGATE FOLEY SCANDAL Washington, DC—Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid today released the following statement on the developing scandal involving Congressman Mark Foley and the House Republican Leadership. “The American people have a right to feel confident that their Congressional leaders are committed not just to the best interest of the nation as a whole, but also to the safety of the young people who every year travel to Washington to work on Capitol Hill. The allegations against Congressman Foley are repugnant, but equally as bad is the possibility that Republican leaders in the House of Representatives knew there was a problem and ignored it to preserve a Congressional seat this election year. “Under laws that Congressman Foley helped write, soliciting sex from a minor online is a federal crime. The American people expect and deserve a full accounting for this despicable episode. The alleged crimes here are far outside the scope of any Congressional Committee, and the Attorney General should open a full-scale investigation immediately. We have a responsibility to the long-term safety of every child who will work in Congress that must not be sacrificed to the short-term interest of any one political Party.”