In the News

By Bill Glauber

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) on Monday asked the Senate sergeant at arms what special measures will be taken to protect U.S. Senate pages in the event Alabama Republican Roy Moore wins a special election.

Roy Moore has denied allegations that decades ago he sexually abused teen-aged girls when he was in his 30's. He faces Democrat Doug Jones in Tuesday's election.

Senate pages, who deliver correspondence and legislative material, must be high school juniors and at least 16 years of age. They are drawn from all 50 states and attend classes at the U.S. Senate Page School.

In her letter to Frank J. Larkin, the Senate sergeant at arms, Gwen Moore wrote: “I believe my fears are well-founded. We have seen members of Congress abuse the Congressional Page Program. You will recall that in 2006, former Republican Representative Mark Foley resigned after sending suggestive emails and text messages to male Pages. Unfortunately, this was a contributing factor in the then elimination of the House Page Program. We need to be vigilant stewards of these children going forward."

She urged Larkin "to be proactive in protecting Senate pages" and asked "if you are taking steps to prepare the page program for the possible election of Roy Moore."

"I would like to know what preventative steps are being undertaken to safeguard Senate pages from predatory conduct of U.S. senators and Senate staff," she wrote. "The U.S. Congress has an obligation to keep these students safe especially in light of known potential harm."

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