What's the future hold, for House Speaker Dennis Hastert?
With the Illinois Republican now at the center of fallout from the Mark Foley House page scandal, we asked Wisconsin Democrat Ron Kind what he thinks. Kind says the page program is a good one; he's sponsored students who've participated and says “to think that their safety is in any way in jeopardy makes you angry.”
Investigators for the House Ethics Committee are now focused on three senior members of Hastert's staff to determine when they learned of Foley's actions and whether they passed on their knowledge to the speaker. Kind says if testimony shows that Hastert was aware of allegations against Foley early on, “that is really despicable, and there should be some action taken.”
Republicans, including President Bush, have so far stood by Hastert in the face of calls by some Democrats for his resignation.
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