11-05-2006, 01:30 AM
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The Associated Press
October 10, 2006 Tuesday 9:21 PM GMT
Evangelist asks House Speaker Hastert to resign
By Nathaniel Hernandez, Associated Press Writer
See Images of Dr. K.A. Paul's Meeting with Speaker Dennis Hastert
See Video of Dr. K.A. Paul's Interview on MSNBC
PLANO, Ill. -- An Indian Christian evangelist who boasts he persuaded warlord Charles Taylor to give up the Liberian presidency came to House Speaker Dennis Hastert's home Tuesday on a similar mission: to get the Republican leader to step down over the congressional page scandal.
Hastert welcomed Houston evangelist K.A. Paul, founder of the Global Peace Initiative, at his door and spent about 30 minutes inside with him. Later, Hastert declined to comment on the meeting, saying, "That's a privileged conversation."
Paul said the two prayed together and he told the speaker he should resign.
You need to for the sake of the country and for the sake of your future," Paul said he told Hastert. "You pray within your heart and you do it."
Paul is best known as Taylor's spiritual adviser, and he has often passed along messages from former Liberian president Taylor, who is in jail awaiting trial before a war crimes tribunal. Paul also claims to have counseled Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic and Haiti's rebel leader Guy Philippe.
Why Hastert would agree to meet with Paul mystified Dan Busby, an executive of an accrediting group that found problems with one of Paul's charities.
<i>They dont know that he may be the conduit to India and UPA/INC and Sonia </i>
<b>In 2005, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which has more than 1,200 members, terminated the membership of Paul's Gospel to the Unreached Millions for failing to meet financial accountability and governance standards.</b>
I find that more shocking than surprising," said Dan Busby, vice president of the accrediting council. "It would mean Dennis Hastert or his people didn't do their homework on the history of this organization."
spokesman Brad Hahn would not comment on how or why the meeting with Paul was arranged.
"The speaker had a cordial discussion (with Paul), but disagrees with his point of view," Hahn said.
Hastert has resisted calls for his resignation over his handling of the scandal. Hastert and his staff have been under fire since revelations about former Congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct toward male pages became known. Hastert said Tuesday he'll dismiss anyone on his staff found to have covered up concerns about Foley's approaches to former pages.
Paul said he expects Hastert will step down and, if so, it will be because God worked through Paul during Tuesday's meeting.
He compared the visit to his meetings with Taylor.
"Charles Taylor stepping down was a great miracle," Paul said. "It's all the holy spirit, not me."
Paul said he believes Hastert met with him because of Paul's connections with prominent Republicans and donors to the evangelical movement. Dallas oilman Nelson Bunker Hunt, a contributor to Campus Crusade for Christ, has served on the board of Paul's Global Peace Initiative, Paul said.
Paul's name is unknown to most people in the American evangelical community, said Billy Graham biographer William Martin of Rice University in Houston. Martin said he only knows of Paul because of recent articles in Houston newspapers.
<b>"As an evangelistic figure in the United States, (Paul) has virtually no visibility," Martin said. "He knows some people highly placed in evangelical circles that could be the tie to Hastert," Martin said.</b>
Associated Press writer Carla K. Johnson in Chicago contributed to this report.
<img src='http://www.globalpeacenow.com/images/image1.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<img src='http://www.globalpeacenow.com/images/image3.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
The Associated Press
October 10, 2006 Tuesday 9:21 PM GMT
Evangelist asks House Speaker Hastert to resign
By Nathaniel Hernandez, Associated Press Writer
See Images of Dr. K.A. Paul's Meeting with Speaker Dennis Hastert
See Video of Dr. K.A. Paul's Interview on MSNBC
PLANO, Ill. -- An Indian Christian evangelist who boasts he persuaded warlord Charles Taylor to give up the Liberian presidency came to House Speaker Dennis Hastert's home Tuesday on a similar mission: to get the Republican leader to step down over the congressional page scandal.
Hastert welcomed Houston evangelist K.A. Paul, founder of the Global Peace Initiative, at his door and spent about 30 minutes inside with him. Later, Hastert declined to comment on the meeting, saying, "That's a privileged conversation."
Paul said the two prayed together and he told the speaker he should resign.
You need to for the sake of the country and for the sake of your future," Paul said he told Hastert. "You pray within your heart and you do it."
Paul is best known as Taylor's spiritual adviser, and he has often passed along messages from former Liberian president Taylor, who is in jail awaiting trial before a war crimes tribunal. Paul also claims to have counseled Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic and Haiti's rebel leader Guy Philippe.
Why Hastert would agree to meet with Paul mystified Dan Busby, an executive of an accrediting group that found problems with one of Paul's charities.
<i>They dont know that he may be the conduit to India and UPA/INC and Sonia </i>
<b>In 2005, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which has more than 1,200 members, terminated the membership of Paul's Gospel to the Unreached Millions for failing to meet financial accountability and governance standards.</b>
I find that more shocking than surprising," said Dan Busby, vice president of the accrediting council. "It would mean Dennis Hastert or his people didn't do their homework on the history of this organization."
spokesman Brad Hahn would not comment on how or why the meeting with Paul was arranged.
"The speaker had a cordial discussion (with Paul), but disagrees with his point of view," Hahn said.
Hastert has resisted calls for his resignation over his handling of the scandal. Hastert and his staff have been under fire since revelations about former Congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct toward male pages became known. Hastert said Tuesday he'll dismiss anyone on his staff found to have covered up concerns about Foley's approaches to former pages.
Paul said he expects Hastert will step down and, if so, it will be because God worked through Paul during Tuesday's meeting.
He compared the visit to his meetings with Taylor.
"Charles Taylor stepping down was a great miracle," Paul said. "It's all the holy spirit, not me."
Paul said he believes Hastert met with him because of Paul's connections with prominent Republicans and donors to the evangelical movement. Dallas oilman Nelson Bunker Hunt, a contributor to Campus Crusade for Christ, has served on the board of Paul's Global Peace Initiative, Paul said.
Paul's name is unknown to most people in the American evangelical community, said Billy Graham biographer William Martin of Rice University in Houston. Martin said he only knows of Paul because of recent articles in Houston newspapers.
<b>"As an evangelistic figure in the United States, (Paul) has virtually no visibility," Martin said. "He knows some people highly placed in evangelical circles that could be the tie to Hastert," Martin said.</b>
Associated Press writer Carla K. Johnson in Chicago contributed to this report.