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Rep. Dale Kildee (D, MI-05) accused of child molestation.

By members of his extended family.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  November 20th, 2011 at 11:45 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

This is going to be one of the messy ones.

The basic details: Rep. Kildee – who is in his eighties, and who announced earlier this year that he is not running for re-election – is being accused by family members of sexually molesting his second cousin fifty years ago.  The alleged victim was twelve at the time; Kildee would have been in his thirties at the time of the alleged molestation.  Additional wrinkles: Rep. Kildee happened to chair (from 2007 to 2011) the House’s old Page Program – which was unexpectedly (and determinedly) shut down this year.  And it’s alleged that both Kildee’s retirement, and the termination of the House Page program, are in response to an ethics complaint based on the charges and made against Rep. Kildee by Michigan Christian radio station president Jon Yinger.

Rep. Kildee is vehemently, and I mean vehemently, disputing the charges and accusing his accusers (and the GOP, of course) of cooking this scheme up to both blackmail and go after him.  Why the Republican party would target a retiring Democratic Congressman like this simply to pick up a vacant seat was not really explained.  I’d also like to note for the record that Rep. Kildee’s suggestion that these allegations were made in the last election does not jibe with either my memory (I believe that I would have remembered it if a Democratic Congressman was accused of raping a twelve year old boy)  or, apparently, that of local Michigan reporters.  Contrast this with the fact that these allegations are a half century old, and we have a very tangled problem.

So, did Rep. Kildee do it?  I don’t know,  and absent further information it’s not really seemly to even speculate too broadly.  But one thing is clear: Congress honestly has no choice but to investigate the former House Page program and check up on the participants in it.  For the last few decades.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

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  • tankertodd

    Looking at Wikipedia’s assessment of the 5th district it doesn’t seem like one that would be likely turning Republican. That plus his announced retirement would debunk any conspiracy, but, hey, we always can blame Dick Cheney?

    It’s hard to lend much credence to allegations from 50 years ago. Memory is a funny thing in that it can be your master or slave. Hopefully no one else will come forward and some resolution can be reached. Hopefully no kids ever came to harm.

  • wennejunk

    As long as humans are elected to office, there will be scandals.

    Sadly, just the Republican ones generate much outrage or exposure.

  • nathanalbright

    That sort of disaster would make the whole Jerry Sandusky mess pale in significance if that is even remotely true. This year just keeps getting worse and worse. Soon anyone who shows any interest whatsoever in children is going to be assumed guilty of molestation, if it’s not already at that level. And how to prove such allegations is a terrible matter. I don’t even want to think about all the stories that could come out of something like this.

  • sowa1

    so sick of hearing it I could scream! If BlueDog Democrats and Tea Party Republicans (all new to Congress) would have been on the Super Committee, we would have had a deal that would help the American People, not the Democrat party or the Republican party. A deal will never become a reality with Kerry or Murray on it.

  • boonerdan

    I bet you don’t find this story anywhere near the front-page for the MSM. Even if you do, the Dems will simply consider this validation of a glorious career in public service. I offer you the canonization of William Jefferson Clinton as my proof.

    Be careful getting distracted by the hubris and watch they other hand.

  • jonrod

    The quote by C.S.Lewis is the Democratic and unions mantra. And we need less if each. There should be no public workers union. They are in fact unconstitutional. As an arm of the frederal government they are supposedly working for us the taxpayer. The SEIU suport the Democratic ultimate theory of absolutism. When are the taxpayers going to wake up to this fact. And stop blaming Bush for the failior of a Congress who have failed to pass a Buget for three years, in which they held power in both the house and Congress. But they keep using malformation by refering to the Republicans as the cause of an unpassed budget. 2012 is the time to rectify this by getting rid of those who have been dragging our economy down by passing bills like Obamacare and a the stupid Stimulous Bill that did nothing bit waste taxpayer’s (Or should I say Chinese) dollars.

  • allen081644

    It is way past time for these bone heads to do the peoples business instead of doing their monkey business. The Super committee is a joke. My rep is not on he committe so therefore they took away my representation.

  • allen081644

    It is way past time for these bone heads to do the peoples business instead of doing their monkey business. The Super committee is a joke. My rep is not on he committe so therefore they took away my representation.

  • wennejunk

    Switch to decaf. Then get off the LSD and to a rehab center.

  • kmpesq

    In light of the new standard established by way of the Sandusky/Penn State case, all members of congress should be thrown out of office because they surely knew about it, yet did nothing. Also, anyone who has ever contributed money to this guy, worked phones for this guy, etc. support child molesters.