TPM runs a story on the Republican House member that’s having problems….
Something is brewing on Capitol Hill that has an eerie resemblance to another set of events that happened just about 12 years ago as Washington hurtled toward the 2006 midterm election. In September 2006, ABC News first reported that Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with underage male congressional pages. Later it was reported that after turning 18 at least two pages had had sexual encounters with Foley. Foley resigned from Congress and entered an alcohol rehabilitation program on October 2nd. Later Foley revealed that he had himself been molested years earlier as a 13-year-old altar boy by a priest named Anthony Mercieca — claims Mercieca appeared to confirm in an interview with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune a week later.
At the time, Foley’s scandal did not affect him alone. Despite initial denials, multiple members of the House GOP leadership knew at least some details of the scandal in 2005 and possibly as early as 2003 but apparently took no action. Speaker Denny Hastert (R-IL) was widely criticized for apparently sitting on the allegations and not taking action. Hastert’s confusing inaction looked more sinister when it was revealed in 2015 that Hastert had sexually abused high school aged boys when he was a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School decades earlier….
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All of which brings us to the current case of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who was first elected to Congress from Ohio’s 12th District in 2006. On July 3rd, NBC News first reported that Jordan had turned a blind eye to sexual abuse by a now deceased team doctor, Richard Strauss. The initial report had three former wrestlers saying that Jordan had known about Strauss’s behavior when he was an assistant coach from 1986 to 1994. College wrestler Dunyasha Yetts said he spoke to Jordan directly.
“I remember I had a thumb injury and went into Strauss’ office and he started pulling down my wrestling shorts. I’m like, what the f— are you doing? And I went out and told Russ and Jim what happened. I was not having it. They went in and talked to Strauss … For God’s sake, Strauss’s locker was right next to Jordan’s and Jordan even said he’d kill him if he tried anything with him.”
Over the last week, each day has brought forward another witness who has told some version of the same story. That Dr. Strauss’s abuse was well known, Jordan knew about it and yet did nothing. A weekend Politico report painted an almost incredible picture of a program in which grown men routinely congregated to watch the wrestling team shower in the nude, masturbated while doing so and had sex in the university gymnasium after watching the wrestling team. Today CNN reported what is either the 8th or 9th witness to come forward with the same story. The unnamed former wrestler says that he approached Jordan directly after Strauss fondled his testicles only to have him “snicker” and walk away…..
I STILL think Jordan is toast….
via twitter….
Talking Points Memo
@TPM
In November 2017, Rep. Jordan’s protege was forced to resign from the Ohio State House following accusations of sexual harassment and assault http://bit.ly/2LadpCb
Former Ohio State wrestlers who say they were molested or made to feel uncomfortable by team doctor Richard Strauss disagree over whether their former assistant coach, Jim Jordan, turned a blind eye to the alleged abuse. Some say Jordan knew or should have known about Strauss’ alleged inappropriate behavior, which they say ranged from long showers with the team to sexual abuse during appointments, because it was the talk of the locker room. Others maintain that Jordan would have protected them if he had known.
Jordan, now a powerful Republican congressman and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, has admirers in both groups.
But as Jordan firmly states that he did not know Strauss was allegedly abusing athletes when he was assistant coach at the university from 1986 to 1994 — and denies hearing locker-room banter about Strauss — former teammates who once cheered each other on are now at odds.
“Everybody loved Jimmy,” said Dunyasha Yetts, a former wrestler who said he told Jordan and former head coach Russ Hellickson when Strauss tried to take his pants down. “Not everybody loves that he’s now saying he didn’t know what Doc Strauss was doing. I used to insist that he or Russ come with me when Doc gave me physicals.”
Jordan’s defenders, though, say otherwise, including two former wrestlers who have spoken to NBC News….
More…
You still think Jordan is “toast” James?
On Jordan vs Franken Z?
Democrats ‘do the right thing?’
Republicans don’t give a shit?….
Perfect example mentioned here is one Donald J. Trump
Washington Post
“When it’s one of their own, their first impulse is to say the accusers are lying and it’s all a liberal conspiracy,” Paul Waldman writes in Opinion.
via facebook….
NBC News
House Democratic leader Pelosi said Thursday she believes the former Ohio State wrestlers who say they were abused by the team doctor and who accused their former coach, Rep. Jim Jordan, of lying when he said he didn’t know about it.