To: The Wrestling Community From: Leo Kocher DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH SMEARING DENNY. PLEASE CALL RADIO TALK SHOWS AND WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TODAY. Denny Hastert has stepped up time and time again for wrestling. Now wrestling needs to step up for Denny Hastert. The Wrestling Community must reach as many people as it can through calling talk radio, letters to the editor, and any other way in which public opinion can be moved. Denny Hastert is one of the finest people to ever hold membership in the Wrestling Community. He was a team state champion coach in Illinois and founded the wrestling coach state organization. He has been directly involved in saving or reinstating nearly a dozen college wrestling programs. In spite of responsibilities of unimaginable number and scope as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives he has always found a way to come through for our sport. Denny Hastert is a good and honorable man - and one of wrestling’s own. Denny is now being unfairly and viciously smeared by the Foley sex scandal. It is unfair because he has done nothing wrong. As a matter of fact he did something very right – the Speaker had Foley’s resignation within two hours of his learning of sexually explicit messages from Foley to the Congressional Page. It is vicious because the political enemies that are attacking him are misrepresenting the facts – and unfortunately the news media is cooperating with these attackers by relentlessly and prominently repeating those misrepresentations. The truth of the matter is outlined below – and we ask that you help get the truth out. . THE FACTS Before September 29 Hastert had absolutely no knowledge of Foley’s communications with Pages and former Pages. While there was a report of an “overly-friendly” – but non-sexual - email from Foley to a former page in 2003, this was referred to the House Clerk who in turn informed the House committee chair overseeing the page program. Congressman John Shimkus confronted Foley about the email and even though the email was non-sexual in nature Shimkus still told Foley to cease sending those types of communications. The parents of the page did not feel that any further action was warranted. Speaker Hastert did not see the vile Instant Messages from Foley to pages until they were released by the press on 9/29. Hastert had Foley’s resignation instantly. THE TRUE SCANDAL The true scandal is the delay in releasing these vile IM’s by those who had them – particularly those orchestrating the smearing of Hastert. Instead of exposing Foley’s preying on young males as soon as possible – these political operatives held onto the information until five weeks before the election - and TWO DAYS after the deadline for taking Foley’s name off of the November 7th ballot. This release was blatantly timed to do the most political damage possible. The delay, for political gain, in releasing information that could end predatory behavior is despicable. On the Sunday News Show “This Week with George Stephanopolous” Congressman Rahm Emanuel (IL), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was asked directly if he or his staff were aware of Foley’s vile instant messages before they were released in the press on 9/29. Emanuel’s reply? “I never saw them.” Congressman Putnam (FL) who was also being interviewed instantly asked Emanuel, “But were you aware of them?” Emanuel’s reply? “ I never saw them.” Why so evasive? Why would Campaign Chairmen Rahm Emanuel not directly state that he and his staff were unaware of the IM’s before 9/29? One very likely reason would be because they were aware of these IM’s. Probably for months. The media, instead of making out Speaker Hastert to be a liar, should try to expose those who have held back this information. That is a big reason why Hastert wants all the facts out and has called for a thorough investigation. THE ABSURDITY It is ridiculous to think Hastert could know of and still tolerate Foley’s perverse behavior – for two reasons: 1. Anyone who knows Hastert also knows it is not in him to do this. 2. If one insists on believing that Hastert is not a good man - the fact is Foley’s Congressional district voted 70% republican in the last congressional race. Any Speaker of the House, never mind someone as honest and honorable as Hastert, would have thrown Foley overboard in a second if he had the evidence on him. To leave him in a Florida district would actually be risking the seat. Finally, Hastert is being attacked not because of what he did in the Foley scandal – he did nothing wrong. He is being attacked in order to drive him out of leading the House of Representatives.