Two GOP lawmakers resign from page board

Two GOP lawmakers resigned Thursday from the board that governs the House Page program, alleging that the House clerk failed to inform them properly about page infractions, including a shoplifting incident and sexual activity.

{mosads}Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi informing the California Democrat of her decision to step down.

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) followed with a statement of her own.

“It is with great regret and a heavy heart that I announce my intention to resign as a member of the House Page board,” Capito said. “It is my belief that we must start fresh with a truly open dialogue,” she added.

Members of Congress were not involved in the incidents. Two pages were dismissed after being caught shoplifting, and two others, a teenage boy and girl, were dismissed for sexual activity.   Capito said there have been “numerous occurrences” this year in which board members have not received timely information about incidents involving pages.

“This year has already seen four pages dismissed from the program, dismissals for serious criminal acts and for inappropriate sexual indiscretions between the students,” Brown-Waite wrote.

Brown-Waite cited the “failed leadership of the clerk of the House and the continued lack of oversight” in prompting her decision to leave the board. She said she believed she had no other alternative to illustrate her serious concerns about the page program’s management problems.

Brown-Waite spokesman Charlie Keller said his boss did not make her decision to leave lightly. She had volunteered to join the board earlier this year to reform the panel after last year’s page scandal involving sexual online communication between pages and former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.). But Brown-Waite was alarmed when she was not told about the shoplifting incidents before the pages were dismissed.

Keller said House clerk Lorraine Miller informed Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), the chairman of the board, only about the shoplifting case. When the sexual incidents occurred, Kildee called an emergency committee meeting of the board to inform them.

Brown-Waite, however, said she does not believe the dismissals go far enough to protect pages, a group of high school students who run errands for members of Congress. She wants more supervision of the pages and possibly a tougher code of honor that they must sign, similar to codes required in military academies.

Keller said the sexual incidents involved other pages, one in the role as an observer and another as an enabler.

"This was not like they were kissing in the corner and got caught,” he said. “If we need to have cameras and more monitors or bed checks, that’s what we need to do. These are 15 and 16-year-old kids and their parents are trusting Congress to protect them.”

Late Thursday, Miller issued a lengthy statement in response to the resignations, highlighting the reforms the House Democratic leadership has made to the page program.

Miller said under Pelosi’s leadership, the page board has instituted a “strict” disciplinary structure that calls for “immediate action” when students commit serious infractions. She also said she has implemented strict protocols for communications and interactions with House pages and “vastly expanded safety measures” and “activity monitoring,” including security procedures to limit access to page school.

“As part of our program overhaul, we have adopted a zero-tolerance policy when faced with rules violations or conduct that is ethically or legally suspect,” she continued. “Those of us who are entrusted with the safety, security and well-being of our Pages take this responsibility with the utmost seriousness.”

Calls to Kildee’s office were not immediately returned.