Congressman Quits Over E-Mails To Teen

Mark Foley, R-Fla., Leaves Amid Letter Scandal With Former Male Page

(CBS/AP)  A prominent House Republican has resigned after the revelation that he exchanged raunchy e-mails with a teenage boy, a former congressional page.

Rep. Mark Foley, of Florida, who is single, apologized Friday for letting down his family and constituents. Once his resignation letter was read to the House late Friday afternoon, Republicans spent the night trying to explain — six weeks before congressional elections — how this could have happened on their watch.

Near midnight, they engineered a vote to let the House ethics committee decide whether an investigation is needed.

Among the Republican explanations during the night:

The congressional sponsor of the page, Republican Rep. Rodney Alexander, said he was asked by the youth's parents not to pursue the matter, so he dropped it. Pages are high school students who attend classes under congressional supervision and work as messengers.

Alexander said that before deciding to end his involvement, he passed on what he knew to the chairman of the House Republican campaign organization, Rep. Thomas Reynolds. Reynolds' spokesman, Carl Forti, said "We are not characterizing conversations that Congressman Reynolds may have had or may not have had with other members of Congress on that subject." .

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Read Rep. Foley's E-mail Exchange (from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington)
Visit Rep. Foley's Web Page

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Republican Rep. John Shimkus, chairman of the Page Board that oversees the congressional work-study program for high schoolers, said he did investigate but Foley falsely assured him he was only mentoring the boy.

The spokesman for Speaker Dennis Hastert, Ron Bonjean, said the top House Republican had not known about the allegations. Shimkus said he learned about them in late 2005.

Just as Shimkus' explanation was released, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi proposed to the House that its ethics committee investigate and make a preliminary report in 10 days. She demanded to know who knew of the messages, whether Foley had other contacts with pages and when the Republican leadership was notified of Foley's conduct.

Instead, majority Republicans engineered a vote to allow the ethics panel to decide whether there should even be an investigation.

Foley's departure sent Republicans scrambling for a replacement candidate.

Foley, 52, had been a shoo-in for a new term until the e-mail correspondence surfaced in recent days. The page was 16 at the time of the correspondence.

Beyond the scandal, there are serious political implications. Democrats need a net gain of 15 seats for control of the House of Representatives in November. It's too late for Republicans to put another candidate on the ballot and while there are theoretical scenarios involving a write-in Republican and special elections, Republicans tell CBS News they've probably lost the seat.

[energyecon]

Another 'Family Values' GOP member of Congress...

Maybe he can get a consulting gig going with Tom DeLay and Bob Ney!

[htownjesse]

SICKO!! No doubt.

[bflippens]

well, well, well

[drgoodwin12]

How many republicans will it take for the country to wake up,there was Duke Cunningham,Bob Ney,Pirrio and lets not forget the four biggest liars,Bush,Cheney,Rumsfield and Rice.Add this pervert to the list.Maybe all elections are local but people need to have a broader scope of the political spectrum.It is time for change and hopefully as Dylan once wrote "the times are a changin"

[shutupmurtha]

Wow, this is rare in the Repuplican party, but I am glad he did not disgrace the party any more and resigned....

What is going on in our government....First Slick Willy (D) (BILL CLINTON and his disgraceful ordeal that he got impeached for, than Mcneely (D) and his disgusting ordeal...Cheating on his wife with a MAN while she was giving birth to his child in the hospital and writing a book about it and the left wing news barely blinks at that...lol... instead they praise him, And now a Guy (R) talks to young girls on the internet...thankfully he didnt follow through with any of it...sick.

[grannysue1]

To all those posters who said this was just another smear from the left, well I guess this guy just wanted to spend more time at home with his computer huh? So glad the "Immoral majority" are running the country. All those closet Repubs better start deleting their online letters and e-mails and web sites because as far as I can tell, Bush has more authority then God almighty now, so if your arrested you could be sent to Gitmo and have your pictures taken with the dogs, men in bras and panties, a pile of naked men, oh wait, you would probably be in heaven. But, Bush could still have you tortured, cause he is the main torturer in chief now, and Congress gave him all the authority he wanted. What a group of immoral, corrupt, lying bunch of hipocrits we have running this country!

[mfbcleveland]

So now, just as with the case with Bob Ney of Ohio, the GOP will attempt to slide someone else into the slot for the election so as not to lose the seat. It probably won't matter if the election deadlines have passed....they'll do what they want and get someone on the ballot. When will this nonsense end? If these guys had any integrity whatsoever, they would remain in the race and lose graciously!

[shutupmurtha]

energyecon, your right the dems want to MURDER fetuses and marry men with men and girls with girls... those are upstanding values..lol? I dont think any republican or democrat would endorse this guys behavior.....duh..

[shutupmurtha]

Wow, this is rare in the Repuplican party, but I am glad he did not disgrace the party any more and resigned....

What is going on in our government....First Slick Willy (D) (BILL CLINTON and his disgraceful ordeal that he got impeached for, than Mcneely (D) and his disgusting ordeal...Cheating on his wife with a MAN while she was giving birth to his child in the hospital and writing a book about it and the left wing news barely blinks at that...lol... instead they praise him, And now a Guy (R) talks to young girls on the internet...thankfully he didnt follow through with any of it...sick.

[shutupmurtha]

Wow, this is rare in the Repuplican party, USSUALLY SEXUAL DEVIENCE IS RESERVED FOR THE DEMOCRATS but I am glad he did not disgrace the party any more and resigned....

What is going on in our government....First Slick Willy (D) (BILL CLINTON and his disgraceful ordeal that he got impeached for, than Mcneely (D) and his disgusting ordeal...Cheating on his wife with a MAN while she was giving birth to his child in the hospital and writing a book about it and the left wing news barely blinks at that...lol... instead they praise him, And now a Guy (R) talks to young girls on the internet...thankfully he didnt follow through with any of it...sick.

[shutupmurtha]

mfbcleveland, are you kidding? You would be freaking out if he remained in the race and you are freaking out that he quit...typical lib.

[shutupmurtha]

Are you guys that afraid of Republicans winning that you are saying he should have stayed in the race...weird..illogical....liberalism. The only half-honorable thing to do is resign....its not about politics...its aboout the right way for a person to act in leadership (SLICK WILLY should have took a lesson from this guy. Instead clinton made our country the laughing stock of the world.)

[shutupmurtha]

....its about the right way for a person to act in response to a horific, humiliating, country hurting deed, esp since he was in a position of leadership.

[tpeks40]

Noooooooooo, A Republican pedophile homosexual? Well at least he wasn't trying to marry the young teen page. One R down and 14 more to go. Hahahahaha...

[shutupmurtha]

correction...young guys...gross...sick...too much info

[shutupmurtha]

tpeks40, could have been worse....it could have been a Democrat phedophile homosexual....um remeber you libs are all for the ***.....(Mcneely ring a bell) Cheating on his wife with a man while she is pregnant in the hospital delivering his baby homosexual

[shutupmurtha]

Plus why is CBS not covering the new Al Queada video?? This story is sick and all...but isnt that more important?? I mean CBS has been covering some pretty lame stories as the front pagers....They are acting like the war on terror is over.....

[omicronthree]

what's the big deal? the repub's have been slammin' us in the a$$ for 6 years now! i guess it wasn't enough for Foley!

[jetauma]

The super moral Right Wingers are dropping like flies. The smell of hypocrasy is just as rank as what usually draws flies...but more deadly. Karma cannot be denied...it always comes full circle.
At the same time, let's allow that he is innocent until proven otherwise the the prisoners at Guantanamo. Oh, yeah, they don't get trails.

[omicronthree]

I absolutely love it when you "super-moral" supposedly christian right wingers have egg on your face!!

[tpeks40]

Hey ShutupMurtha, It's just like the republicans trying to deflect their problems by bringing up the war on terror, or *** marrige, when facing a controversy. This is news whether you like it or not, and hopefully the first step in a Democrat controlled house. See how effective Dubya is when that happens. :p

[phlip217]

"Instead clinton made our country the laughing stock of the world", says ShutpMurtha -- I disagree. It was more the Evangelical Right's hypocritical eye-rolling, holier-than-thou, heart a-flutter overreaction that made other countries laugh at the spectacle. If you don't think the majority of leaders throughout history have had, ahem, flings, then you need to re-visit the History books.

[welton50]

What I read sounds like a man with few or no friends who is looking for someone to talk to. In this instance it was a former page. Little worried about the birthday issue, but it was nothing about which he should have resigned his House seat. Go to counseling, yes. Resign Congress, no.

[omicronthree]

Gosh.... The bushies have suddenly gotten very quiet! They must've moved on to the "Bush conquers the world" page.

*crickets chirping*

[skatcatla]

"Wow, this is rare in the Repuplican party, USSUALLY SEXUAL DEVIENCE IS RESERVED FOR THE DEMOCRATS but I am glad he did not disgrace the party any more and resigned...."

I'm sorry, what country do YOU live in? Because in my USA, Republicans outnumber the Dems about 3:1 in the sexual scandal arena. Do a simple Google search sometime and tell me what you find.

[omicronthree]

welton50, let me get this straight... an old man emails your young son and asks him for pictures and you think he "just wants to make friends"?

[tpeks40]

I guess Mr Foley was just asking about this teens birthday because he wanted to send the boy a new bible. hehehe

[omicronthree]

yeah, one with pictures LOL

[tpeks40]

Hysterical omicronthree.

[terminalman1-2009]

Let's see you morons at CBS do an investigation into the BOHEMIAN GROVE SOCIETY and the kidnappings, rapes, sacrificial murders and pedophilia that goes on there. George Bush and his Dad are frequent members.

[nynative1340]

Well, wahdaknow? The Republicans do have a *** life afterall, albeit an illegal one, and ALTERNATIVE at that. HA HA HA!!! HEE HEE HEE!!!

Clinton, who had legal *** with an adult, has NOTHING on this guy. HA HA HA!!! HEE HEE HEE!!!

BTW, is there a verse in the BIBLE that covers this?

[christiansin]

I for one believe that Mark Foley's personal life is just that, personal, even if he is a pulic servant. If he is a confirmed bachelor, that is his business. So many of the best public servants let their personal lives turn into a train wreck (Bill Clinton for example) and their detractors are more than happy to tear up the rails for them.

However, this bit of info, "Foley founded, and is co-chairman of, the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus," coupled with the email exchange that he went out of his way to have with a 16 year old boy just creeps me out. If this guy was making advances on an underaged boy while in such a position (co-chair of the Eploited Children's Causcus), then he is obviously pretty messed up.

[patrickdc202]

This is TOO delicious!

Everyone in DC knew Mark Foley prefers ***. Worst kept secret around. What we did NOT know was that he was a PEDOPHILE! The man is a "CHICKEN HAWK" for Christ sake! Talk about SICK! Is this LEGAL??? Was that kid LEGAL?

OK, right-wingers, bring on the OUTRAGE over a PEDOPHILE in the Congress.

Whatta sicko. 52 year old Closeted Queen going after a young'un like that.

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[sharncedar]

A person's email should be considered private just like their snail mail. There is a strong expectation of privacy when one writes emails.

How did these emails leak? That act is the crime here. Whether Foley did something actually illegal, it doesn't sound like he did based on the excerpts from the letter. He wasn't soliciting a s*x act for example.

Reading Foley's letters and making them public is illegal though, still illegal until congress passes their new eavesdropping bill.

[tpeks40]

That's a joke. Expectation of privacy? Brought to you by a freedom taking republican, no doubt. What about national security? The bottom line is that this pedophile freak likes little boys. He's a pedophile homosexual "bachelor". I believe this child made these emails public, and that was his right to do so. I guess he didn't appreciate being hit on by an old pervert. Hahahahaha.

[christiansin]

Well, tell them to lock me up, cause I just read those emails here today!

And I also read a lot of what Ken Star wrote about Bill Clinton's private *** life, so I guess they need to lock me and Ken Star up together. ;/

[drgoodwin12]

shutupmurtha child molestion or attempted child molestion is a far mor serious crime than having an affair.Nixon brought more disgrace to this counrtry than Clinton and Bush is on course to bring more disgrace than Nixon could ever dream of. Second it was a boy that Foley was in contact with.

Several years ago Mark Foley, running for the US Senate attacked the children's nudist camps run in Florida by the American Association for Nude Recreation. The Quakers have also run nude children's camps for 65 years. Foley was attempting to get name recognition on the West Coast of Florida where he wasn't known.

The writer is a Quaker and a naturist. I was appointed with ten others to visit Mark Foley regarding the issue of the nudist children's camps. During their history there had never been an incident. The Quakers have 65 years of history.

Foley modified his position and supported the nudist position but wanted to be sure the kids were protected. Nudist kids are much better off in society that others for they are trained to beware of persons seeking to do wrong.

Mark Foley was and is a very congenial person. To make matters more interesting, I served as a US Senate page back in the 50's - but we never had anything like this - Foley is not the first to make advances at pages. Foley is also homosexual and we found it somewhat ironical that as a homosexual he went after another minority group, who according to USA Today represents 18% of the public (though most never announce their position publicly).

Clearly there must be more to this story than we have seen. Reading the emails did not suggest anything sexually explicit.

Sometimes you reap what you sow.

Bill Martin
Venice, FL
Naturist-Christians.org.

[oldsailor2]

another, some what odd republican, just a little queer perhaps?

[blazercoach1]

A difference between conservatives and liberals seems quite apparent in these comments. I don't believe ANY conservative is condoning this man's behavior. While we respect that his private life is private....it seems that something either illegal or at best highly inappropriate may have happened here. And FOLEY RESIGNED! And didn't LIE ABOUT IT! And nobody is apologizing for him...or excusing him.

Both sides have wrong-doers. Heck...both sides have PEOPLE. And PEOPLE make mistakes. I'm proud of how conservatives handle it honestly and maturely.

Where was this with any number of Democrats caught in wrong-doing? Cynthia McKinney, anyone? Clinton, anyone? (And before you libs start moaning and whining that Clinton's was not an ILLEGAL affair.....lying about it was!)

[jumkey]

No, the difference between libs and cons is shown in your comment blazercoach1.

You're making excuses for a pedaphile - simply because he's a Republican. That's not just sad, it's sick.

I'm glad you're glad Foley handled his attempt to seduce an underage boy with honestly and maturely. Liberals would want him jailed so he couldn't harm others.

But as you say, that's the difference between libs and cons. For you IOKIYAR ("It's OK if you're a Republican") even in cases of child abuse.

[politipoll]

Foley did the right thing by immediately resigning. He understands what's at stake this election and didn't want this thing drawn out in the public eye right up until election day.

www.politipoll.net

[blazercoach1]

Jumkey...I live in Vermont. Here, a liberal judge gave a CONVICTED *** offender who molested two children only 3 months. Why? Because he felt prison wouldn't rehabilitate him. It took a CONSERVATIVE uprising...led by Mr. Blowhard himself..Bill O'Reilly...to get the conviction extended.

Who votes against Megan's Law? LIBERALS. Megan's law would make MANDATORY minimum sentences for *** offenders. (I believe it's 15 years). Look it up if you dare educate yourself with facts.

Jumkey...SIGHT IN MY TEXT where I make an excuse for Foley. Go ahead...read...and QUOTE ME.

[smartfixrman]

Once again someone in power abusing their power. It has always been my observation in life, that the ones screaming the loudest about something, are the ones who are doing it the most. They try to cover it up, by campaigning loudly against it. Case in point Jimmy Swagert. If this was a regular Joe he would be in jail already. One of the posters on here wrote, that he saw nothing wrong with the emails, and yet another thought that emails should be private. This is an elected official, put into office by citizens like you and I. Obviously there are more to the emails, than we are being allowed to read. No one resigns abruptly like this, unless they are caught with their hand in the cookie jar. All of our elected officials should expect to be under a microscope by the citizens who have elected them. His emails should be public knowledge, and he should have known that someone would eventually find out. What is sad, is all of the people who will suffer from his innapropriate actions. His family, the boy , and the boys family. This man needs help, and he should not have a choice about it, he should be ordered to get immediate help. I just hope that this will be a wake up call to the rest of the Congressman, and the Senate, that are abusing their power, taking illegal bribes, and thinking that they will never get caught, that their time will come. Hopefully other people who are being abused by people in power, and who may know of illegal bribes, will get the courage up, to come forward.

[drgoodwin12]

blazercoach1 did Nixon tell the truth or Agnew?Has Bush and his adminstration with the NIE report and Woodwards book?This man Foley has not admitted any wrong doing,he has simply resigned because he knows he is an embaressment and liabilty to the Republican party.

[blazercoach1]

Smartfixrman, the best statement yet. Although sometimes the ones screaming loudest are NOT the ones doing it. Case-in-point...victims of an offense. But your impression certainly DOES have several examples!

[nynative1340]

WOW! Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley. What's the Republican party coming to?

Thank God for a free press and investigative reporting.

[agnim]

Foley the filth-stirring *** wanted to take boys to his repugnant republican 'log cabin' to sodomize and traumatize them? Republicans continue to fall on their swords.

Since the dumb democrats don't have the wherewithal to save the country from these devils, guess Mother Nature will have to do the purging for us.

That other disgusting deviant barney frank should resign also.

[agnim]

Foley the filth-stirring f@ggot wanted to take boys to his repugnant republican 'log cabin' to sodomize and traumatize them? Republicans continue to fall on their swords.

Since the dumb democrats don't have the wherewithal to save the country from these devils, guess Mother Nature will have to do the purging for us.

That other disgusting deviant barney frank should be booted out of the government also.

[blazercoach1]

drgoodwin...do you KNOW why he resigned? Maybe he IS resigning because he is GUILTY! I don't know...and neither do you. Sure this is an embarrassment...but it is less so to his party because he is doing the right thing and relinquishing his role as a public servant.

And how come libs are so moved by a BOOK..and just assume it's all true and accurate? I haven't read it....HAVE YOU? Have you checked his sources? I'll be you just LOVED "A Million Little Pieces" and "Farenheit 911"...and the "da Vinci Code". But you were simply outraged with the ABC movie :)

And no...Nixon didn't tell the truth and rightfully got booted out of office. WAS I EVER DEFENDING HIM? OR FOLEY?

Can you folks not read what I'm writing? Or do you assume that we conservatives blindly defend others who are conservative? NOPE. We can discern a dishonest man from one whom we simply disagree with.