President Bush stood by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, while investigators' questioned Mark Foley's former aide about the timeline of his disclosure of e-mails.
BY LARRY MARGASAK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Former Rep. Mark Foley's one-time aide didn't waver Thursday from his contention that he told the house speaker's chief of staff at least three years ago about Foley's approaches to male pages, the witness' lawyer said.
Kirk Fordham would not comment after emerging from nearly five hours of closed-door testimony before the House ethics committee, but his lawyer, Timothy Heaphy, said Fordham was ''consistent in his accounts.'' Fordham has spoken out publicly on his timeline and was questioned by the FBI.
Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill, has said he learned of inappropriate approaches by Foley in late September and his aides found out in the fall of 2005. Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, has denied that Fordham contacted him at least three years ago.
On Thursday, President Bush stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the embattled speaker, declaring the country ''better off'' with Hastert in power.
~snip~
Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., scheduled to appear today, has said he confronted Foley last fall, after he was told by Hastert's office of an overly friendly -- but not sexually explicit -- e-mail to a page from Louisiana.
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