Congressman Quits Over E-Mails To Teen

(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." .

---

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

---

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.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page »

[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.