WASHINGTON _ Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., is asking the Senate Sergeant at Arms and doorkeeper to be proactive in protecting pages if Roy Moore is wins Alabama's special Senate election on Tuesday.
In a letter, the congresswoman asked what preventive steps are being undertaken to "safeguard Senate Pages from predatory conduct of U.S. Senators and Senate staff."
Roy Moore has been accused of pursuing relationships with minors, and the congresswoman pointed specifically to 10 allegations and that he was banned from a mall and a YMCA in Alabama in 1979.
She called his election a "threat to the safety of the young men and women working in the United States Senate Page Program."
Rep. Moore said while the experience is an enriching one for high school juniors and seniors, "However, being away from home also puts these young people in a very vulnerable position. They are away from family and their normal support structures."
She added, "The nature of life on Capitol Hill necessitates long hours in close proximity to lawmakers and staff that can create power dynamics of which young people are not fully aware."
Rep. Moore noted that former Rep. Mark Foley resigned in 2006 after sending explicit messages to male pages. Since then, the House Page Program has been eliminated.
