Dems Slap Republicans for Keeping Sex E-Mails To Teen Secret

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats demanded on Sunday that House Republicans keep them in the loop and thoroughly investigate former Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate e-mails to a 16-year-old boy. The White House went further, suggesting the need for a criminal probe.

"This should be investigated objectively. I think the Democratic leadership should have been told 10 months ago," said Rep. Jane Harman of California, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "I gather that basically nothing was done except that Foley was warned."

Foley, R-Fla., quit Congress on Friday after the disclosure of the e-mails he sent to a former congressional page in the House, and the sexually suggestive instant messages that the five-term congressman from West Palm Beach sent to other high school pages. snip

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said it was outrageous the House GOP leadership had not acted sooner. "It really makes me nervous that they might have tried to cover this up," he said.

Murtha said the House ethics committee should conclude its work on the Foley case before the November elections, so that voters can "hold people accountable." Doing so, he said, might help restore public confidence, since already "the reputation of Congress under the Republican leadership is lower than used car salesmen."