When the Hastert scandal broke it was the first thought in my mind, Miller said. Was that the reason he acted the way he did during the whole Foley scandal?
Burdge said the Foley scandal convinced her that she had to come forward. She wrote letters to an advocacy group for victims of priest sex abuse, a prominent defense attorney who had tried several sex abuse cases, ABC News and Oprah Winfreys media company. She told all of them that she knew why Hastert hadnt delved more deeply into complaints about Foley.
Only, Burdge was afraid to allow the news organizations to use her name, and she did not want to take on someone of Hasterts caliber without support. I didnt know what could happen to me, she said. I didnt know if I had any rights.
Unable to quote her by name, the news organizations balked. Asked why ABC did not air Burdges claim at the time, spokeswoman Caragh Fisher referred to a story the network published in June, saying it could not corroborate Burdges story and that Hastert denied her claim. The Associated Press also reported in June that it had contacted Burdge after receiving a tip, but Burdge would not go on the record. A spokeswoman for the Oprah Winfrey Network did not return a request for comment.