White House voices support for House speaker

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) The White House today voiced renewed support for Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert amid calls for his resignation over his handling of a congressional sex scandal.

Citing Vice President Dick Cheney's statement that Hastert should not step down, White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters, ''We support the speaker.'' Hastert, the top Republican in the US House of Representatives, has been criticized for how he responded to allegations of former Republican Rep. Mark Foley's unwanted advances to teen-age boys who had worked as congressional messengers. Foley resigned last week after disclosure he sent sexually explicit e-mails.

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