Mr. Reynolds, why is your chief of staff advising a child sex predator?

Congressman Tom Reynold (R-NY) has some explaining to do.

He claims that when he was informed about the Foley page scandal he did his due diligence. But did he really? We now learn from the Palm Beach Post that Reynolds' chief of staff, Kirk Fordham (former chief of staff and campaign manager to Mark Foley for ten years) "returned to Foley's side to advise him during the past couple of days."

Really?

Tom Reynolds' chief of staff has been advising a child sex predator? A sex predator who Reynolds would like us to believe he dealt with in an appropriate and impartial and objective manner?

A few questions for Mr. Reynolds, assuming the Palm Beach story is accurate:

1. Did Reynolds approve of his chief of staff returning to the side of a child sex predator to, not comfort him, but ADVISE him?

2. Did his staffer assist this child sex predator on the government dime? During government work hours?

3. Did Mr. Reynolds know at all that his chief of staff was advising the sex predator?

4. If so, did Mr. Reynolds try to dissuade his chief of staff from assisting the sex predator, or in any other way did Reynolds let his concern be known?

5. Did Mr. Reynolds' chief of staff influence Reynolds' handling of the Foley scandal this spring when Reynolds became aware of the scandal?

6. Reynolds would have us believe that he only found out about the scandal this spring. Are we to believe that Reynolds' chief of staff, who was Foley's top aide for ten years, didn't get wind of this scandal last fall when it became known in Senate leadership circles? That Foley himself didn't tell the former chief of staff? And if the staffer knew, are we to believe he didn't tell his bos, Mr. Reynolds - and if not, why not?

7. Is your chief of staff's close connection to Mr. Foley the reason you, this morning, in an interview with the local Buffalo press tried to downplay the suffering of the victim in this case?

You suggest that Mr. Alexander told you the victim only had "some discomfort" over the emails from Foley. In fact, the victim said he was "freaked out," that the emails were "sick" (he repeated the word 13 times), and the child victim asked that the congressman be informed. That hardly constitutes "some discomfort."

Did Mr. Alexander downplay the victim's suffering, or did you?

8. And now that you know your chief of staff has been advising a child sex predator, what do you plan on doing about it?