Congressman quits
after messages to teens found
From CNN's Dana Bash
on the Web, September 29, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Republican Rep.
Mark Foley resigned Friday from the House after sexually explicit instant
message conversations with teenage congressional pages attributed to him
surfaced.
The instant message conversations were published on ABCNews.com and other
Internet blogs.
According to ABCNews.com, someone using the screen name "Maf54," which ABC
identified as Foley, communicated with congressional pages.
ABCNews.com posted these instant message exchanges:
Maf54: You in your boxers, too?
Teen: Nope, just got home. I had a college interview that went late.
Maf54: Well, strip down and get relaxed.
ABCNews.com also cited this exchange:
Maf54: What ya wearing?
Teen: tshirt and shorts
Maf54: Love to slip them off of you.
A third example from ABCNews.com:
Maf54: Do I make you a little horny?
Teen: A little.
Maf54: Cool.
E-mail exchange questioned
Earlier Friday, a former congressional page questioned e-mails Foley had sent to
him, describing it as "sick." Foley, a Florida representative, apparently
sent the e-mails in August 2005, when the male page was 16 years old.
In the e-mails, which were obtained by the Washington-based Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Foley discussed a second page, saying
"I just emailed [him]... he's such a nice guy... acts much older than his age...
he's in great shape... i am just finished riding my bike on a 25 mile journey
now heading to the gym... what's school like for you this year?"
Foley then asked the page for a picture.
The young man, who forwarded the e-mails to another congressional staffer,
called the e-mails "sick, sick, sick."
"Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously. This freaks me out,"
the page wrote in the e-mails obtained by CREW.
A spokesman for Foley told CNN the congressman acknowledged he had an e-mail
exchange with the former page but flatly denied that it was anything
inappropriate.
Florida Republican 'deeply sorry'
In his letter to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush resigning his position, Foley apologized
for letting down his family and his constituents.
"Today I have delivered a letter to the speaker of the House informing him of my
decision to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective today.
I thank the people of Florida 's 16th Congressional District for giving me the
opportunity to serve them for the last twelve years; it has been an honor,"
Foley said in a written statement.
"I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of
Florida I have had the privilege to represent."
Foley was part of the Republican leadership, holding the post of deputy whip.
He also chaired the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus and
was a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois said he supported Foley's resignation.
"He's done, as of now; he's done the right thing," Hastert said. "I've
asked John Shimkus, who is the head of the Page board, to look into this issue
regarding Congressman Foley. We want to make sure that all of our pages
are safe, and the page system is safe."
"None of us are very happy about it," Hastert said.
Election foe calls for
investigation
According to GOP sources, Foley is concerned there may be other potential
politically damaging e-mails or information out there and has concluded it's
best not to run again for office.
Foley, who is considered a moderate, has been in office for six-terms.
His Democratic opponent in the race, Tim Mahoney, called Thursday for an
investigation into the matter. Mahoney's campaign denied having anything
to do with the information becoming public.
Before the questions about the e-mails surfaced, Foley was expected to win
re-election in November by a wide margin.
The resignation comes within six weeks of the midterm elections in which control
of Congress could come down to a handful of seats. The Democrats need 15
seats to end over a decade of Republican control of the House.
The Foley scandal may re-enforce the already negative opinion the public has of
Congress and Washington, which could hurt Republicans this fall.
Florida Republicans could name a replacement candidate for Foley as soon as
Monday. Foley's name will appear on the midterm ballots and cannot be
changed, but any votes for Foley will count toward the party's choice.
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