The right-leaning Washington Times editorial page along with several conservatives have called for Hastert's ouster for his inaction in probing electronic messages between Foley, R-Fl., and former teenage pages.

Hastert has said he was aware of the "overly friendly" e-mails Foley exchanged with a 16-year-old page, but he did not know of the more lurid instant messages that forced Foley to resign his seat.

"I give him the benefit of the doubt," said Republican Rep. Rob Bishop. "I believe him when he said he didn't know about that. . . . I cannot imagine someone with that kind of a background would do anything like a cover-up."

Hastert once left a wrestling team over the coach's vile language, Bishop said in praise of the speaker's integrity.

Rep. Jim Matheson, Utah's lone Democrat in Congress, called the Foley scandal a "horrible story," and that it was "outrageous" what the ex-congressman did.

"If other people had knowledge of it in detail, they ought to be held accountable," Matheson said. But, "I don't know what [Hastert] knew or what his role was. To call for his resignation without knowing that would be irresponsible."

Republican Rep. Chris Cannon, following GOP "talking points," cited the last congressional page scandal in 1983, when Democratic Congressman Gerry Studds admitted to having sex with a male teen, and a Republican had a relationship with a female page. Both were reprimanded, but the Republican left office and the Democrat continued to serve until 1997.

"Did anybody ask Tip O'Neill to resign?" Cannon asked, referring to the former Democratic House speaker who controlled the House when that scandal broke.

The National Journal's daily political briefing Hotline notes reference to the 23-year-old Studds scandal was included Monday in a memo from the National Republican Congressional Committee to GOP press secretaries. In the days since it has been repeated by numerous Republican lawmakers.

Cannon added that he believes Hastert acted appropriately.

"I think that conservatives ought to back off a bit," Cannon said. "The bad guy is gone, and let's see what we can do to make the program safer."

Bishop, who is on the House Rules Committee, also questioned the timing of the disclosure of the e-mails coming out five weeks before the general election. "Why wait until now?" he said.

tburr@sltrib.com

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* Tribune reporter REBECCA WALSH contributed to this story.