by Matthew Hay Brown
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to have learned something from the Mark Foley scandal.
A year ago, questions about what Republican leaders knew about Foley’s communications with former male pages and when they knew it cost GOP candidates at the polls.
Now, with sex and pages in the news on the Democrats’ watch, Pelosi appears to be trying to minimize the political fallout by bringing House Republican Leader John A. Boehner into the loop.
Pelosi and Boehner emerged from a meeting Thursday over allegations of sexual and criminal activity by pages with a rare joint statement directing the House Inspector General to conduct an independent investigation.
“We expect the Inspector General to gather the facts and recommend the appropriate and necessary corrective actions to be taken by the House,” they said. “We will also work together to select a highly regarded, independent entity to conduct a thorough review of the Page Program’s organization and operation, and make recommendations concerning its long-term future.”
The move follows reports that two pages engaged in oral sex in front of other pages at their Capitol Hill dormitory. The criminal allegations involve shoplifting. At least four pages have been sent home this year for misconduct.
It is the latest scandal to rock the page program, which brings high school juniors to Washington to run errands for lawmakers and their staffs, and to learn about the inner workings of government.
The allegations came to light last week when the two Republican members of the House Page Board resigned. Reps. Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia and Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida said they were not promptly informed of the incidents or the dismissals.
The Foley scandal of 2006, when the Florida Republican was found to be sending suggestive mesages to former male pages, helped Democrats regain control of Congress after a dozen years in the minority, and led the House to vote unanimously this year to reorganize and expand the Page Board.