Congressman Quits Over E-Mails To Teen

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

(CBS/AP) 
Foley's Democratic challenger, Tim Mahoney, was 13 points behind in the polls last week. A wealthy businessman and cattle rancher, today he may be one of the luckiest politicians around, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

Florida Republicans planned to meet as soon as Monday to name a replacement in Foley's district, which President George W. Bush won with 55 percent in 2004 and is now in play for November. Though Florida ballots have already been printed with Foley's name and cannot be changed, any votes for Foley will count toward the party's choice.

Hastert said Friday he had asked Shimkus to investigate the page system. "We want to make sure that all our pages are safe and the page system is safe," Hastert said.

ABC News reported Friday that Foley also engaged in a series of sexually explicit instant messages with current and former pages, all male. In one message, ABC said, Foley wrote to one page, "Do I make you a little horny?"

In another message, Foley wrote, "You in your boxers, too? ... Well, strip down and get relaxed."

Foley, as chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, had introduced legislation in July to protect children from exploitation by adults over the Internet. He also sponsored other legislation designed to protect minors from abuse and neglect.

"We track library books better than we do sexual predators," Foley has said.

Foley, who represented an area around Palm Beach County, e-mailed the page in August 2005. Foley asked him how he was doing after Hurricane Katrina and what he wanted for his birthday. The congressman also asked the boy to send a photo of himself, according to excerpts of the e-mails that were originally released by ABC News.

The e-mails were posted Friday on the Web site of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington after ABC News reported their existence.

Naomi Seligman, a spokeswoman for CREW, said the group also sent a letter to the FBI after it received the e-mails. CREW did not post their copies of the e-mail until ABC News reported them, instead waiting for the investigation.

"The House of Representatives has an obligation to protect the teenagers who come to Congress to learn about the legislative process," the group wrote.

According to the CREW posting, the boy e-mailed a colleague in Alexander's office about Foley's e-mails, saying, "This freaked me out." On the request for a photo, the boy repeated the word "sick" 13 times.

He said Foley asked for his e-mail when the boy gave him a thank-you card. The boy also said Foley wrote that he had e-mailed another page.

"he's such a nice guy," Foley wrote about the other boy. "acts much older than his age...and hes in really great shape...i am just finished riding my bike on a 25 mile journey now heading to the gym...whats school like for you this year?"

In other e-mails, Foley wrote: "I am back in Florida now...its nice here...been raining today...it sounds like you will have some fun over the next few weeks...how old are you now?" and "how are you weathering the hurricane...are you safe...send me an email pic of you as well."

[truth2006]

How come a Repub. House page-pederasty cover-up is not treated harshly as Pres. Clinton was with an adult? Repubs. claimed sainthood while hiding Gingrich's adultery! It's Repub. to thieve power thru religion bases. Feining a party of family values: race, ethnic, ability, gender & sexual supremacism.

Foley headed a child safety arm of the House! How dense can a party's judgement be? Pederasts don't prey on gender/***: AGE, VULNERABILITY, & EASY ACCESS to targets turn them on. Watch W's govt. use Foley's pederasty to further its anti-*** agenda! How else can it hide a House cover-up? Keep religion base votes? Who else are page-pederasts & which Repubs. cover-up like hiding Gingrich's adultery while hounding Clinton?

#1 pederast: dads then close contact males who prey on GIRLS 75% of the time. Much US public is dumbed to absorb anti-*** spin W admin. untruths like WMD's. Inclusions Illusion, Jesse Jackson 1999. We didn't hear & became targets of religious violence & hated. Abe Lincoln, "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" W's all Repub. govt. proves it's amoral. Saudis bombed us on 9/11! W kills Iraqis. Are border breakers rewarded US $ & citizen home buglars made felons given no US $? W panders to Hispanics to control them. Awake US voter. Isn't it clear W's values aren't American: freedom & fairness for ALL?

[drgoodwin12]

Would some rational conservative please explain to me how Clintons affair with a woman of legal age is more heinous of a crime than attempting to solicit a child into sexual acts (attempted child molestation)and Boehner and other republicans kept silent about this for over a year.Yes they reprimanded him at the begining of this year but why did they not ask him to step down.That is complicity.Yes Democrats have not always walked lock stock and barrel in regards to morals but I cannot recall a single one that ever attempted child molestion.That is one of the most heinous crimes and if he would have actually pulled it off,then I would say the same thing regardless of party affilation give him life without parole.

[diamtool]

"According to the Associated Press, Congressman Reynolds%u2019 spokesman confirmed that Reynolds had been informed by another Congressman that the boy had complained about Foley%u2019s inappropriate communications 'months ago,'" the press release continues. "It appears that Reynolds did not tell authorities about the emails or take any step to discipline Foley, apparently choosing instead to sweep the matter under the rug to protect the Republican party%u2019s dwindling chances of retaining control of the House of Representatives this November."--AP REPORT
i think "dwindling" reads "disappearing" at this point!
This republican pedophile actually FOUNDED the committee on exploited teens, how long did the repub leadership know about this, how many other hypocrite right wingers knew this guy was a perv?
God Bless this kid who wouldn't shut up!
America-- Had Enough????
thought so!

[exusmcsgt]

janem4-

Justice Ginsberg has not proposed a 12 year old as being at the age of consent. What she has observed is that English common law, which our states which observe common use as a legal standard, sets the age of consent at 12 years of age. Big difference.

[annabanana-1]

Please note that the emails released widely are not the most damning evidence out there. ABC had a .pdf cirulating of transcripts of IM messages between the two that were MUCH more explicit. (google is your friend)

[elissa55]

What am I missing? Although it seems like it could have turned into something very inappropriate eventually I don't see anything "raunchy" here so far.

[exusmcsgt]

ShutupMurtha-

Because Foley is leaving after propositioning children does not mean that he is not a pedophile. I am hard pressed to believe that this was his first foray...time will tell.

[shutupmurtha]

17 year old boy...that is

[shutupmurtha]

I mean Gerry Studds (DEMOCRAT-MASS) actually had *** with a 17 year old, how do we get all these pervs in office and that pervert didnt even resign!?!?!? At least this sick pervert resigned and didnt have *** with the kid.......

[shutupmurtha]

Lets put this in context for a second, as bad as this is, lets take a look at past sexual ACTION by some of our leaders and former leaders%u2026%u2026.

Barney Frank (D-MA) got nailed (no pun intended)for paying for *** and having *** with *** prostitute Stephen L. Gobie in 1989. He is still in office to this day....He did not even have the decency to retire.

In 1983 Congressman Gerry Studds (D-Mass) was charged with homosexual RELATIONS with a 17-year old youth who was serving as page in the House. He also did not resign.....

James McGreevey (D-NJ) announced his resignation Thursday after revealing that he is *** and that he had an adulterous affair with a man. (He cheated on his wife with a man (whom he is now in a relationship with) while she was in the hospital giving birth to his baby. I will say at least he resigned...... But he is now being held up as a hero for homosexuals.

Bill Clinotn (D-Former President) Cheated on his wife with a White House intern, lied about it, made a mockery of the country, did not resign, got impeached.

Mark Foley, R-Fla., Leaves Amid Letter Scandal With Former Male Page. Had explicit COMMUNICATION, no action is known yet. This is wrong, of course, but ask yourself is this to the level of indecentcy as those mentioned above. I am glad he resigned; it was the only half- honorable thing to do in this situation. Thankfuly this pervert Foley did not engage in *** with a child like the democrat from MA Barney Frank.

[exusmcsgt]

jumkey-

95% of what I read here is pure villification from the left and the right, unfortunately.

[jumkey]

exusmcsgt: I don't believe all cons don't care about stopping child molesters - but SOME don't, like blazer.

My point was that he was more interested in vilifying liberals than criticizing the molester, simply because the molester was a Republican. This, in my opinion, excuses such behavior.

My comments to him were intended in an ironic manner to point this out.

[exusmcsgt]

Redtigerlady-

Are you aware that the last time "Clinton" (I assume you mean Bill) ran was 1996 and he won?

[exusmcsgt]

jumkey-

It appears to me that you fall into the same trap for which you criticize blazercoach1 - that is stereotyping.

Conservatives care for their children as do liberals. The main difference I see is that conservatives tend to program their children with homophobia, religious intolerance, and self-rightiousness.

[redtigerlady]

Well everyone who voted against Clinton are getting their "Just Reward" Anyone remember Marie Antionette"? They are falling one by one!!!

[tpeks40]

Hey Shutupmurtha,

The difference of the people you mention, besides Congressman Studds, are grown people having consensual relations. This scumbag preyed on teenagers, all the while cloaking his deviant sexual orientation under the auspice of being a champion against exploitation of children. He should be shot, and you're a jerk.

[jumkey]

blazercoach1: You stereotype all liberals as soft on child molesters and all conservatives Republicans as the opposite. Then when a conservative Republican is show to be a pedaphile it's "well he handled it with maturity". So be it.

Sorry I took your postive comments about Foley's "maturity" in admitting to attempting to molest children as making excuses. My mistake.

Personally I'd prefer jail time for pedaphiles and am not interested in making them feel better about their "maturity". But that's the difference between us libs and you cons - we actually care about children and their safety.

[shutupmurtha]

Lets put this in context for a second, as bad as this is, lets take a look at past sexual ACTION by some of our leaders and former leaders%u2026%u2026.

Barney Frank (D-MA) got nailed (no pun intended)for paying for *** and having *** with *** prostitute Stephen L. Gobie in 1989. He is still in office to this day....He did not even have the decency to retire.

In 1983 Congressman Gerry Studds (D-Mass) was charged with homosexual RELATIONS with a 17-year old youth who was serving as page in the House. He also did not resign.....

James McGreevey (D-NJ) announced his resignation in November 04 after revealing that he is *** and that he had an adulterous affair with a man. (He cheated on his wife with a man (whom he is now in a relationship with) while she was in the hospital giving birth to his baby. I will say at least he resigned...... But he is now being held up as a hero for homosexuals.

Bill Clinotn (D-Former President) Cheated on his wife with a White House intern, lied about it, made a mockery of the country, did not resign, got impeached.

Mark Foley, R-Fla., Leaves Amid Letter Scandal With Former Male Page. Had explicit COMMUNICATION, no action is known yet. This is wrong, of course, but ask yourself is this to the level of indecentcy as those mentioned above. I am glad he resigned; it was the only half- honorable thing to do in this situation.

[shutupmurtha]

Mcgreevy resigned November 04....

[shutupmurtha]

continued....

Bill Clinotn (D-Former President) Cheated on his wife with a White House intern, lied about it, made a mockery of the country, did not resign, got impeached.

Mark Foley, R-Fla., Leaves Amid Letter Scandal With Former Male Page. Had explicit COMMUNICATION, no action is known yet. This is wrong, of course, but ask yourself is this to the level of indecentcy as those mentioned above. I am glad he resigned; it was the only half- honorable thing to do in this situation.