From beyond the right wing: Leave it to one of our least-favorite arh-wingnuts, Richard Viguerie, to pile on Republican House leaders while they’re all scrambling to cover their collective sorry asses. The man who thinks Barry Goldwater was a bit too liberal issued this press release today:
Richard A. Viguerie, author of the new book, Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause and a founder of the conservative movement, has called for the immediate resignation of any House GOP leaders who knew of former Congressman Mark Foley’s improper contact with underage pages and took no action.
‘Anyone who covers up such behavior should have the full wraith [sic] of the authorities and of the public fall upon them, because they are the enablers who made it possible.’Viguerie stated that any public official who takes advantage of a page or intern – someone to whom they are “in loco parentis” (in the place of a parent) – should be treated the same as a teacher or member of the clergy who commits a similar act. “And anyone who covers up such behavior should have the full wraith [sic] of the authorities and of the public fall upon them, because they are the enablers who made it possible.”
He said that calls for a Justice Department investigation “could be part of an effort to cover this up until after the election. Once an investigation is under way, they may claim, falsely, that they can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.” He said House GOP leaders must “tell the American people the truth right now, not sweep it under the rug for the next six weeks.”
Said Viguerie: “This isn’t an isolated situation. It is only the most recent example of Republican House leaders doing whatever it takes to hold onto power. If it means spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars on questionable projects, they’ll do it. If it means covering up the most despicable actions of a colleague, they’ll do it.”
“They’ve lost their moral rudder,” Viguerie said of any House leaders who tolerated Foley’s behavior.
