No Foley ethics report before Election Day

[one...two...tree 2,762]

WASHINGTON - The House ethics committee has been working hard to determine if Republicans covered up ex-Rep. Mark Foley's come-ons to former male pages, but even 12-hour work days won't bring conclusions by Election Day.

The lack of a report leaves voters to sort through conflicting Republican accounts in deciding whether GOP leaders failed to protect teenagers in their care.

Foley became overly friendly with male pages when they served as errand-runners for lawmakers and - after they left Congress - sent some of them inappropriate e-mails and lurid instant messages.

Post-election report

It won't be easy for voters to find answers without the ethics committee's help.

Speaker Dennis Hastert's staff could have learned of inappropriate e-mails as early as 2002 and as late as 2005, depending on whose statements voters believe. The salacious instant messages didn't surface until a month ago.

Also, two House leaders said they told Hastert about Foley's questionable e-mails last spring, but the speaker said he didn't learn of them until late September.

A four-member investigative subcommittee interviewed some two dozen witnesses in closed sessions. Witnesses were still being questioned earlier this week, leaving no time for the panel to digest hours of interviews and write a report by Election Day.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15535599/

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Most likely you can take off the qualifier "before election day".