House of Representatives Pages Gone Wild...5 kicked out for sexual misconduct, shoplifting, fighting

[Amerigo Vespucci]

WASHINGTON — Five participants have been kicked out of the coveted House of Representatives page program for youths on Capitol Hill over alleged incidents involving sexual misconduct, shoplifting and fighting. House officials say the incidents did not involve members of Congress, and comes a little more than one year after then-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., resigned from the House after a scandal involving him and messages to pages.

Now two lawmakers have resigned from the page oversight board in protest of the latest problems. The House Page Board oversees about 70 pages who are high school juniors from around the country. They assist lawmakers in message delivery and other tasks in the House. The Senate has its own page program, and it is not under scrutiny.

The new troubles have arisen in the past three months, sources tell FOX News. In one instance, two pages were caught having oral sex in an elevator in the page dorm, one-half mile south of the Capitol, according to two sources.

In the other incident, two pages were caught shoplifting at the Pentagon City mall across the District of Columbia line in Virginia, sometime in October or November. According to one source, these two pages had enough stolen items they could have faced felony charges. The fifth page was dismissed for anger management issues, sources said, due to a number of altercations on the House floor, including a fist fight.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316064,00.html

[TheWraith]

1. So?

I'm not seeing where this is really news. Point one, teenagers have oral sex? I'm shocked. Shoplifting is obviously bad, but some people do it anyway, even if they don't neccessarily need the things they're stealing. Let the police and the families deal with it. And last, somebody couldn't control their temper, and they got kicked out. Sounds like that's what's supposed to happen.

Only thing I can really discern from this is that I guess Fox News is blaming it on Democrats being in control of Congress.

[donsu]

4. the kids chosen for page are supposed to be top students

top students are supposed to have manners and morals.

top students would have sex in private, not an elevator.

top students would know better then to steal while being a page.

a frequently angry kid should not be chosen for page work.

all teens do not act like jerks.

[lpbk2713]

2. The two Reps who resigned were rethuglicans .... Typical.

Things went bad while they were in a position of authority. The misconduct found its way into the media and the public's awareness. So then the rethugs resigned so that someone else could take care of the problem that happened on their watch. Typical. These people will never change.

[SpiralHawk]

3. I suppose the republicons resigned cause they weren't getting any Page booty

How typical of republicons...

[lpbk2713]

5. Don't these Pages have to be sponsored or recommended by a member of Congress?

In order for them to get the job? It wouldn't surprise me to learn they were sponsored by rethuglicans. They certainly demonstrate all the values the goppers hold dear.