Oct 08 2006
The Media Source And The Staffer – Not The Same
We know that the initial, non-salacious emails that initiated Foleygate (and were not illegal and of little interest to reputable news organizations, the FBI and the House leadership) were sent from the Louisianna Page to Danielle Savoy, staff member to Rodney Alexander, the representative who sponsored the LA Page. We also know that the emails sent to Ms Savoy were in two parts: One between Savoy and the LA Page and one set between Foley and the LA Page.
Early media reports assumed the staffer who received the emails from the LA Page and alerted House leadership of the problems is also the source for the media. Apparently that may not be the case. Let us reflect on this report from The Hill on the chain of custody of the two email files – one printed out Sept 13, 2005 containing the Foley emails with the page and one printed out Oct 17, 2005 and containing ‘an email’ (which looks chopped up) between the Page and Ms Savoy. Here is the reporting from The Hill:
The source who in July gave news media Rep. Mark Foley’s (R-Fla.) suspect e-mails to a former House page says the documents came to him from a House GOP aide.
Emphasis mine. Well we know the House GOP aide is one Ms. Savoy. We understand also that Ms. Savoy worked for the Congressman who worked with the Page’s family to tell Foley to stop talking to their son, and to keep the matter quiet and out of the press. But clearly “Ms.” Savoy is not the male source to CREW and John Aravosis in July of 2005 (and probably ABC News in July or August). Obviously a female aide is different from a male source. But there is more:
The same source, who acted as an intermediary between the aide-turned-whistleblower and several news outlets, says the person who shared the documents is no longer employed in the House.
Apparently Ms Savoy has left the House and may be working for a US District Court Judge in Louisianna. I am fairly certain of this because this Palm Beach POstv news article lists Savoy as now living in Monroe, LA – home of a US District Court. Coincidence? I think not.
The real question is whether she considers herself a ‘whistle-blower’ or whether the real media shopping source, some male, just tagged her as such. I am hoping people with some inside sources will tell us soon. This may be a picture of the young Ms Savoy [link fixed] – who knows (from this site). But one thing is for certain, just because the media source got these from Savoy doesn’t mean the media source – himself – is not a democrat operative.
These revelations mean that Republicans who are calling for probes to discover what Democratic leaders and staff knew about Foley’s improper exchanges with under-age pages will likely be unable to show that the opposition party orchestrated the scandal now roiling the GOP just a month away from the midterm elections.
My guess is the source is a democrat (as has been claimed) who somehow got access to the emails between Savoy and the LA Page. Ms Savoy was working to help the Page and keep this quiet. There is no proof, whatsoever, she was playing a whistle-blower role. What we do know is a male was the one pushing this story. I am still guessing Fordham somehow got access the Savoy emails and leaked them to Aravosis, who then shopped them around and convinced CREW to give some cover by having them give it to the FBI, while Aravosis (or someone associated with him) set up the bogus website for ABC News to use as their excuse for finally and belatedly releasing the incorrect news Foley had been predatory towards this LA Page (which the family is on record saying this is not the case). Only ABC News could report something in complete opposition to the family of the so called victim.
And someone on The Hill knows who this person his who was shopping the emails in July
The person who provided the e-mails to several D.C.-based news outlets in July claimed to have no knowledge of who gave them to two Florida papers last year.
We know for a fact this ‘source’ did not contact the FBI to report a crime or a predator. Nor did they report their find to the House or Page program. Clearly they were hiding evidence of a problem which had surfaced (and been dealt with) over nine months earlier. The Hill knows who this is.
This close to the election Congress won’t have the time to expose all of this. The only way to expose all this info is through a Rush Limbaugh show , Hannity or similar venue to get the ball rolling. The other media will have to follow once is reported . The Reps are just praying this will die. They never attack. This is just like Rathergate.
AJ,
The PB Post article says the page lives in Monroe. It doesn’t say where Savoy lives.
This link, updated 9/25/06, says there’s a Danielle Savoy who is a law clerk at the US District Court in New Orleans.
Sorry, forgot the link:
http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/Directories/section_n.htm
The Hill indicates that the “source” they talked to had un-redacted e-mails, but I was lead to believe the the e-mails supplied by LA page had been redacted prior to appearing in DC. Is This correct ?
Neo,
It makes sense. My guess recollection was people wanted to see the contents, so Alexander’s staff would probably do some redactions in order to show the emails. That is why Savoy’s email address is not redacted – signs of House internal versions of the emails.