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September 29, 2006
If You Aren't Guilty, Then Why Resign?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, resigned from Congress on Friday, effective immediately, in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former male page."I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent," he said in a statement issued by his office.
Foley, 52, had been considered a shoo-in for re-election until the e-mails surfaced in recent days.
Campaign aides had previously acknowledged that the Republican congressman e-mailed the former Capitol page five times, but had said there was nothing inappropriate about the exchange. The page was 16 at the time of the e-mail correspondence.
Foley's election opponent, Democrat Tim Mahoney, has called for an investigation.
The correspondence took place in August 2005 after the boy gave Foley a handwritten thank you note before returning to Louisiana.
Foley was running for re-election to a seventh term. He has represented his district, which includes West Palm Beach, since 1995. Florida Republicans could replace Foley on the ballot.
In his exchanges with the boy, Foley asked how old he was, what he wanted for his upcoming birthday, how he was doing after Hurricane Katrina and for a photo.
The e-mails were posted Friday on Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's Web site after ABC News reported their existence. The group asked the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to investigate the exchange Foley had with the boy, who served as a page for Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Louisiana.
"The House of Representatives has an obligation to protect the teenagers who come to Congress to learn about the legislative process," the group wrote, adding that the committee, "must investigate any allegation that a page has been subjected to sexual advances by members of the House."
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 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?"
Where there is smoke, there is fire. Shame on you Mr. Foley! If you aren't guilty (which I am sure you are) then why resign? Why not stand up for yourself? And why apologize to your family? I have a feeling there will be more than just the inappropriate emails and comments that have surfaced so far before this is over. Truly sick!
Found via CNN.
Update: 4:00 pm: What do you know!!! It DOES get worse!:
Hours earlier, ABC News had read excerpts of instant messages provided by former male pages who said the congressman, under the AOL Instant Messenger screen name Maf54, made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.
Who could have predicted?
Found via the ABC News Blotter.
If you truly believe that Republicans are really moral after all of the corruption, lying and down right despicableness that has gone on in the last 6 years then you really are completely insane and it speaks highly of your own character. There are too many instances of these occurrences and indiscretions and that's the fact of the matter.
Update: 4:18 pm: I've been thinking...In today's electronic age who is dumb enough to do this sort of thing via e-mail or text message? Putting it in writing period is just nuts! You are going to get caught and you're leaving a trail. It almost sounds like you want to get caught. Just a thought.
Update: 6:22 pm: And it gets worse! Check out some of the inappropriate conent over at AMERICAblog. I'm sorry, but there is no way you can spin the comment " Do I make you a little horny ?" into a positive light. Sick!!
Update: 6:39 pm: And even more inappropriate content via AMERICAblog.
The Republicans are trying to spin it that what Foley did was not wrong, but his mistake was that it's so close to the election that they can't get a decent candidate (which is an oxymoron given Republicans aren't decent to begin with) into the race. Not for once second do they think his pedophilic behavior is bad, it's just bad that he got caught! Yeah, that's morals for you.
Posted by Dianne at September 29, 2006 3:53 PM
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Comments
Mark Foley, you reap what you so, and what comes around goes around. I hope you get the max allowed by law, and on the sex offender registry, and that if you know anything about John Walsh, you squeal on him as well. ROFLMAO!!!!!!
Now you will get 1st hand experience on these laws that you helped pass.
Posted by: ZMan at October 1, 2006 1:25 AM