Lawyer Won't Say Whether Fordham Warned Reynolds Against FoleyI just got off the phone with Timothy Heaphy, the lawyer for NRCC chief Tom Reynolds' former chief of staff, Kurt Fordham. And Heaphy's refusing to say whether or not Fordham warned Reynolds about Tom Foley's problem before Reynolds claims to have heard of it. That could spell trouble for Reynolds -- a full explanation after the jump.
Reynolds has claimed he only heard about the problem when the "overly friendly" emails were mentioned to him some time in the spring by GOP Rep Rodney Alexander.
But that version of events may not add up. Fordham has since claimed he was so alarmed about Foley's problem that he warned Speaker Dennis Hastert's staff about it years ago. So it stands to reason, then, that Fordham would have told Reynolds about the broader problem, too, well before word of the email surfaced.
After all, Fordham's been working for Reynolds since early 2005, Heaphy says. So given that he apparently told Hastert about the Foley problem, why wouldn't Fordham have told his own boss -- i.e., Reynolds -- about this ticking political time bomb? Reynold is in charge of the GOP's House races. Why wouldn't Fordham have warned him?
(snip)
Either way, we may soon find out the truth. Heaphy tells me that if the FBI or House ethics committee asks Fordham about his conversations with Reynolds (or anyone else), Fordham will disclose all.
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http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2006/oct/08/ny_26_lawyer_wont_say_whether_fordham_warned_reynolds_against_foley