Foley resigns from Congress

Rach3

Just another politician at work...

WASHINGTON - Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla., resigned from Congress on Friday, effective immediately, in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former teenage male page.
...
ABC News reported Friday that Foley also engaged in a series of sexually explicit instant messages with current and former teenage male pages...

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.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060929/...essman_e_mails

Ivan Seeking

He must be guilty as sin considering how quickly he resigned.

Astronuc

BobG posted a link - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15063977/ - in What will happen in the 2006 mid-term elections?

Foley, as chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus,. . .

Talk about the Fox guarding the Chicken coop.

Whatever happened to family values?

Ivan Seeking

What? He was exploiting children; like the job title says...

Rach3

And now it seems that Republican leadership knew about this all long, and didn't act! Hastert was complicit in this! This could be a major campaigning point for the DNC...

Rep.: Hastert told of Foley months ago

WASHINGTON - Rep. Thomas Reynolds (news, bio, voting record), head of the House Republican election effort, said he told Speaker Dennis Hastert after learning a fellow GOP lawmaker sent inappropriate messages to a teenage boy.
...
"Congressman Reynolds' inaction in the face of such a serious situation is very troubling, and raises important questions about whether there was an attempt to cover up criminal activity involving a minor to keep it from coming to light before election day," said
Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney.

New York Democrats hoping to unseat Reynolds blasted the congressman, saying they call into question the Republican's values.

"Mr. Reynolds knew about these allegedly inappropriate emails from a fellow congressman to a minor for months and didn't lift a finger," said Blake Zeff, a spokesman for the state Democrats.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060930/...foley_reynolds

Ivan Seeking

It looks like we have another gate - Foleygate.

edward

Apparently a lot of people knew about Foleys actions and did not inform authorities.
According to the ABC video below High school kids were warned about Foley when they Came to D.C. as interns.

http://www.wonkette.com/politics/abc/

Cyrus

Ewwwwwwwwwww. I've seen those offices, and there are TONS of HOT female secretaries. Why molest underage boys when you can have hot legal women.

I guess that's why he's a crazy nut-job.

Rach3

Congress has sprung into action. There is now a toll-free hotline for boys solicited by members of Congress.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061001/...foley_reynolds

Astronuc

Quote by Rach3

Congress has sprung into action. There is now a toll-free hotline for boys solicited by members of Congress.

After the fact - after the bull left the pen, they close the gate.

Or maybe the open a new gate as Ivan mentioned.

*Skyhunter*

Quote by Rach3

Congress has sprung into action. There is now a toll-free hotline for boys solicited by members of Congress.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061001/...foley_reynolds

But, with Rep. Foley gone, who will they put in charge of the hot-line?

Rach3

The implication being, that there are so many Congressionally-solicited pages that they need their own toll-free hot line.

Astronuc

Quote by Rach3

The implication being, that there are so many Congressionally-solicited pages that they need their own toll-free hot line.

No - I think the comment about the hotline (as in Runaway/Missing hotline, which many states and localities have) is a sarcastic remark concerning the fact that Foley was chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus.

It's very sad to see this, but a psychologist reminded me that pedophiles usually endear themselves to children, e.g. Boy Scout leaders, Youth conselors in camps or religious institutions, and so on. In fact, when I was about 15, I had an interaction with a Boy Scout leader who was seemingly too friendly with the boys. When he invited me on a hike and then suggested I remove my clothes - in an area away from the other scouts - I pretty much concluded that he was a pedophile (although at the time I didn't know the term). I think others caught on too. He left scouting shortly after that, and another man took over the troop. I became less active in the scouts after that, and subsequently moved.

He took pains to befriend the 16- and 17-year-old aides, several former pages said in interviews on Sunday. He chatted with them on the House floor, they said, sent handwritten notes and urged them to keep in touch when they left Washington for their hometowns.
. . .
“You didn’t have a lot of interaction with the members because most of them treated you like a kid, but he was pretty friendly,” said Ms. Gallo, who served as a page in 2001. “He would talk to people,” she said.

“He would say, ‘Here’s my e-mail address if you want to keep in touch.’ I don’t think anyone thought anything of it. They saw him as a mentor or a reference.”
. . .
But despite Mr. Foley’s warm demeanor, Mr. McDonald and another former page said they later became aware that the lawmaker might have a darker side. Mr. McDonald said he learned that Mr. Foley had sexually explicit Internet conversations with several pages who had left the program. “I was disgusted, but I was not surprised when these revelations started circulating,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/02/wa...n/02pages.html

Mentoring is a great privelege, but Foley abused it. It is a great shame, and also that the House leadership seemingly dismissed the early alarms. That speaks volumes for the leadership of this country - not the kind of leadership the country needs or deserves.

Ivan Seeking

... "I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and other behavioral problems," Foley, a Republican, said in a statement, Roth told the AP. [continued]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ebfoley02.html

Okay, he may also have an alcohol problem, but that's not THE problem.

Ivan Seeking

..."Congressman Reynolds' inaction in the face of such a serious situation is very troubling, and raises important questions about whether there was an attempt to cover up criminal activity involving a minor to keep it from coming to light before election day," said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney. [continued]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2512011

Who knew what and when did they know it?

*Skyhunter*

Quote by Ivan Seeking

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ebfoley02.html

Okay, he may also have an alcohol problem, but that's not THE problem.

It seems that guys like Foley who advocate prison over treatment for drug addicts are the first to blame their problems on alcohol abuse and seek treatment.

Or is this just the mid-term damage control for the Republicans, first Bob Ney, now Foley. I can't remember, did DeLay claim alcoholism?

Ivan Seeking

There is talk of criminal charges.

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Ivan Seeking Recognitions: Gold Member Science Advisor Staff Emeritus	He must be guilty as sin considering how quickly he resigned.

Ivan Seeking Recognitions: Gold Member Science Advisor Staff Emeritus	Foley resigns from Congress What? He was exploiting children; like the job title says...

edward Recognitions: Gold Member	Apparently a lot of people knew about Foleys actions and did not inform authorities. According to the ABC video below High school kids were warned about Foley when they Came to D.C. as interns. http://www.wonkette.com/politics/abc/

Cyrus	Ewwwwwwwwwww. I've seen those offices, and there are TONS of HOT female secretaries. Why molest underage boys when you can have hot legal women. I guess that's why he's a crazy nut-job.

Rach3	Congress has sprung into action. There is now a toll-free hotline for boys solicited by members of Congress. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061001/...foley_reynolds