More GOP deception documented by Josh Marshall. This one is Rep. Shimkus vs. his own staffer and Hastert's office. Shimkus tells reporters he actually saw the Foley emails. Yet, both his own spokesman and Hastert's office said Shimkus didn't see the emails. How odd.
This passage from Josh underlies the current situation:
But if Foley already had a "reputation" among congressional pages, you can bet his reputation extended to staffers and probably to congressmen themselves. One thing that seems to be missing from the GOP reaction is shock or surprise. Maybe I've simply overlooked them, but I haven't seen any quotes along the lines of what you usually expect when something like this breaks: the befuddled reactions of those who knew the alleged perpetrator but had no idea he was even capable of what he is being accused of. I'm thinking of those standard quotes from serial killers' neighbors: he was quiet, kept to himself, seemed completely normal.It is a small world on the Hill. If the House pages were warned about Foley, many more people up there had to know there was a problem. Who warned the pages about him?
It's a small world up there on the Hill, and you just don't get the sense that this is a bolt from the blue. I'd be surprised if some reporters didn't already have the low-down on Foley's "over-friendly" ways.
By all their efforts to cover their tracks, it is increasingly obvioius that GOP leadership knew about the Foley problem, but didn't do anything. That would cause political problems for them. Instead, they ignored the situation. Now, they're all running for cover. A friend who watches the GOP leadership very, very closely wrote this to me last night, "I've never, ever, ever, seen them throw each other under the bus like this." The bus is running them all over.
