The House ethics committee has concluded today that Republican leaders were negligent in protecting pages from former congressman Mark Foley�s overly-friendly advances. Though the committee found leaders negligent, they also noted that the Republicans did not break any rules in handling the case. The four-member bipartisan committee interviewed Speaker Dennis Hastert, as well as dozens of other witnesses, to determine whether strong enough action was taken against Foley.

The committee determined that Hastert�s office was aware of Foley�s inappropriate e-mails and instant messages at least a year before the scandal was leaked to the public. Majority Leader John Boehner and House Republican Campaign Chief Tom Reynolds claim to have told Hastert about Foley last year, but Hastert denies having any knowledge of Foley�s conduct until the scandal became public. Additionally, Foley�s former top aide said he informed Hastert�s chief of staff about Foley�s behavior as early as 2002 or 2003.

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