Kolbe Canyon
Feds probe trip that Kolbe made with pages
NBC exclusive: Congressman alleged to have been inappropriate in ’96
Federal prosecutors in Arizona have opened a preliminary investigation of a camping trip Congressman Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., took 10 years ago that included two teenage congressional pages, a Justice Department spokesman told NBC News.
…NBC also interviewed the two former pages, who are now in their late 20s. One of them said that Kolbe was a gentleman and never acted in an improper fashion. He recalled that the pair spent time in Kolbe’s house at one point — and briefly were alone with him on the trip — and that Kolbe always acted professionally and decently.
The other would not comment on Kolbe’s behavior during the trip or characterize it in any way.
“I don’t want to get into the details,” he said. “I just don’t want to get into this… because I might possibly be considered for a job in the administration.”
However, the former page — who is the one to whom Kolbe allegedly paid special attention — said he had a “blast” on the trip and did not report anything improper to his parents or any House officials after the trip. He said he has a favorable impression of the page program to this day and likes Kolbe.
Round One.
Now, there’s no sign of Foley or Dirty Harry on MSNBC.com’s home page, so I’m wondering how long before this makes front and center. ( World News Tonight had a piece on how conservative Christians are leaving the GOP in droves because they’re “too close to homosexuals”. )
UPDATE: Got the link.
Arguments among Christian conservatives — primarily that many of the gay men caught up in the Mark Foley scandal prove that Republicans have been too tolerant — threaten to tear the party apart.
“It’s time for what we call a ‘Come to Jesus Meeting,'” said Rev. Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition. “Homosexuality is a dysfunctional lifestyle, and it must be addressed.”
“Has the social agenda of the GOP been stalled by homosexual members and/or staffers?” Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council wrote in an e-mail to activists. “Does the party want to represent values voters or Mark Foley and friends?”
Synchronize your watches…6:22 p.m. CST in 3…2…now.