Congressional Aide Says He Warned Hastert's Office About Foley in 2004

A veteran Capitol Hill aide said Wednesday that he brought concerns about former Representative Mark Foley's conduct toward teenage congressional pages to the attention of House Speaker Dennis Hastert's office as early as 2004, making it the earliest known warning to Republican leadership.

Kirk Fordham, who resigned Wednesday as chief of staff to Representative Thomas Reynolds of New York, told the Associated Press he held multiple conversations with top House leadership staff urging them to address Foley's inappropriate behavior, at least a year before the email scandal became public.

Fordham pushed back against reports from ABC News citing anonymous Republican sources who suggested he had worked to shield Foley, his former employer, from scrutiny. He called those claims 'categorically false' and denied ever asking anyone to block an inquiry.

He said he would cooperate fully with both the FBI and the House ethics committee, offering to disclose all relevant meetings and calls he had with senior House staff regarding Foley's behavior.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.