"In another Foley writes, 'how are you weathering the hurricane…are you safe…send me an email pic of you as well…'And, yes, we can expect to be seeing/hearing highly-charged political activity next week as folks from Congress return to their home districts/states to campaign for the mid-term elections.
The page forwarded that e-mail to a congressional staffer saying it was 'sick sick sick sick sick.'"
Foley's office says it is their policy to keep pictures of former interns and anyone who may ask for a recommendation on file so they can remember them.Isn't it always the congressperson who makes sure they've got photos of former interns?
"What happened was I gave certain people Thank-you cards, you know? I gave Foley one because he was a really nice guy to me and all. Then he asked me for my e-mail on the back of his. So I was like 'sure' because of course I had no suspicions."posted by ericb at 4:39 PM on September 28, 2006
"Yes. I have his [Foley's] personal e-mailThis leads me to believe that the staffer wanted to confirm that the boy was communicating with Foley by way of personal e-mail. Hence, I suspect the Foley staffer found it unorthodox for the congressman to be communicating with the kid via his AOL e-mail and not his official congressional e-mail.
"do i have the right emailThe boy get's "freaked out" around August 31, 2005 -- the day when he sent this e-mail to the staffer:
Mark Foley"
"Ok. I am forwarding them [presumably the e-mails from Foley] now.And "...I still haven't e-mailed him back, and I don't think I will for a while, if ever. What do you think about it all???
Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously, this freaked me out.
But do tell me what you think about it all. I have one friend thinking I am being paranoid and the other saying she thinks it is wierd [sic] that he even asked me for my e-mail, much more what he said."
"Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley exchanged personal emails with a 16-year-old former male page for a month, asking how old the young man was, if he wanted a photo, and requesting a photo.posted by ericb at 9:00 AM on September 29, 2006
Reports of the emails have rocked the House, bringing back memories of a scandal involving two members of Congress who had sex with two Congressional pages in the 1980s.
While Foley denied doing anything improper, sources say the Capitol Hill Police department is now looking into the Congressman's behavior.
In 1983, the House censured Illinois Republican Congressman Phil Crane and Garry Studds (D-Mass) after both admitted having sex with pages. Crane's lover was female while Studds' was male. Crane, who cried on the floor of the House and asked his colleagues to forgive him, lost his re-election campaign the following year.
Studds, however, refused to admit any guilt and became the first member of the House to openly admit his homosexuality while saying he did nothing wrong. He served several more terms before retring."
Foley sponsored a bunch of relevant legislation.posted by MrMoonPie at 2:35 PM on September 29, 2006
"Congressman Mark Foley, Republican from Florida, resigned today just hours after ABC News questioned him about a series of sexually explicit instant messages involving current and former underage male Congressional pages. Foley used the login name Maf54."Maf54: Do I make you a little horny ?Foley was the Chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children and has long crusaded for tough laws against those who use the Internet for sexual exploitation of children.
Teen: A little.
Maf54: Cool.
"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."posted by ericb at 2:49 PM on September 29, 2006
"Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who sponsored the page from his district, told reporters that he learned of the e-mails from a reporter some months ago and passed on the information to Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Republican campaign organization.posted by ericb at 6:12 PM on September 29, 2006
Alexander said he did not pursue the matter further because 'his parents said they didn't want me to do anything.'
Carl Forti, a spokesman for the GOP campaign organization, said Reynolds learned from Alexander that the parents did not want to pursue the matter. Forti said, however, that the matter did go before the House Page Board — the three lawmakers and two House officials who oversee the pages.
It was unclear what the officials did.
...Alexander said the boy notified a staffer in his office about the e-mails. The congressman said he learned of it from a reporter 10 or 11 months ago and promptly called the boy's parents.
'My concern then was the young man's interests and the parents' interests,' Alexander said Friday. 'We weren't trying to protect anybody except the parents. ... They told me they were comfortable with it and didn't want to pursue anything, didn't want to talk about it anymore.'"
"And just as importantly, why did Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert let Foley lie publicly yesterday about the emails, claiming they were innocent, and simply a dirty attack from the Democrats, when the House leadership knew the real story?
And finally, we find out that the FBI was contacted two months about this story. Was there any follow-up..."
[source]
Once the Secretary of State receives the resignation letter they will notify the Republican Party of Florida.For the complete statute, click here."posted by ericb at 7:36 PM on September 29, 2006
The Party then has seven days to submit a name to replace Rep. Mark Foley as the Republican candidate in the general election.
Rep. Foley's name will remain on the ballot because the resignation occurred after the certification of the primary results.
When a voter casts a vote for Foley in the November election, the vote will count for the new Republican nominee.
There will not be a special election to fill the vacancy because it is too close to the general election.
SCARBOROUGH: Congressman Foley, let me bring you in here.Maybe he can be on "Dateline" now.
It seems to me we can pass laws that stop predators from sending porn in the mail, U.S. mail. Why can‘t we pass laws in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals to stop this type of smut going into e-mails to kids?
REP. MARK FOLEY ®, FLORIDA: Well, Joe, that‘s one of the big problems.
The courts are ruling, repeatedly, that this is a First Amendment issue. We have been able successfully to stop Internet pornography or pornography by the mails. We have been able to stop it from a number of venues.
(CROSSTALK)
SCARBOROUGH: Hey, hold on.
Hey, Mark, are you telling me that courts in this country are saying, it‘s a pervert‘s right to send an e-mail to a 14-year-old kid and try to pick that kid up for sex? That‘s protected by our Constitution?
That‘s why our men and women have died over the past 220 years, to protect perverts‘ rights to profile 14-year-old kids?
FOLEY: As frightening as that seems, we have been foiled, if you will, by the courts repeatedly by using the First Amendment and people‘s rights to have free speech.
I agree with you 100 percent. That‘s why we have tried to toughen the laws. That‘s why we tried to create a more difficult time for predators to roam free. But the “Dateline” piece has probably done more than any law we can create. Hopefully more people will be forewarned. More parents will be taking advantage of the chance to talk to their kids, instructing them about the dangers of the Internet.
And, certainly, more people that have seen this segment that may be thinking about interacting with a child may go ahead and get mental health counseling.
"Ex-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who resigned Friday after reports of his improper communications with a former male House page were made public, was interviewed about some of those contacts by the chairman of the House Page Board and the then-Clerk of the House last year.posted by ericb at 9:01 PM on September 29, 2006
And late Friday night, the House passed a resolution directing the ethics committee to begin an inquiry into Foley’s behavior.
'I'll just simply say that the House has given us direction to look into this matter and we intend to do so,' said Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), chairman of the ethics panel.
Ranking member Howard Berman (D-Calif.) added that they will do it 'quickly.'
Both Hastings and Berman declined to comment when asked if they would look specifically into leadership and when they knew information about Foley.
Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), who chairs the page board, and then-Clerk Jeff Trandahl, who administered the program, met with Foley in 2005 after learning of Foley’s e-mail exchange with the former page by Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.). Shimkus released a detailed statement Friday night.
House sources said that Foley denied any improper sexual activity when confronted by Shimkus and Trandhal. Their information only included some August 2005 e-mails that contained no references to sex or other improper behavior, and not the other messages that have been cited in media reports.
According to a senior House GOP leadership aide, Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) office was informed of the interview shortly after it occurred, but Hastert himself was not told.
Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), who serves on the page board, was never told of the interview with Foley.
'I became aware of it this afternoon when [Shimkus] came by my office. I think we should have had a page meeting right away,' Kildee said, referring to last year's discovery of Foley's e-mails.
When asked if was upset about being excluded, Kildee said yes, adding, 'I've been on the page board for 20 years.'
'I'm the chairman of the page board,' Shimkus said when asked why he didn't include Kildee. 'The Clerk and I addressed this issue.'"
[more]
"And the wheels are off the bus. Boehner says Hastert knew about the investigation, and told Boehner 'we're taking care of it.' From the Washington Post:posted by ericb at 11:09 PM on September 29, 2006The resignation rocked the Capitol, and especially Foley's GOP colleagues, as lawmakers were rushing to adjourn for at least six weeks. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of some 'contact' between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), and that Hastert assured him 'we're taking care of it.'...Hastert's toast. If he can survive this with his leadership position intact, it will only be because the GOP is so riddled with corruption that it has literally nobody else to fall back on.
You don't protect a sexual predator using the tools of your office. No, not even if you're a Republican."
'The page worked for Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who said Friday that when he learned of the e-mail exchanges 10 to 11 months ago, he called the teen's parents. Alexander told the Ruston Daily Leader, "We also notified the House leadership that there might be a potential problem," a reference to the House's Republican leaders.'I assume that passage doesn't need much unpacking. But let's do it anyway.
"One former page tells ABC News that his class was warned about Foley by people involved in the program. Other pages told ABC News they were hesitant to report Foley because of his power in Congress."posted by ericb at 8:17 AM on September 30, 2006
Boehner later contacted The Post and said he could not remember whether he talked to Hastert.See earlier version here."
"He was a respected House member cruising toward a seventh term..."posted by ericb at 10:54 AM on September 30, 2006
"...the news about Mark Foley has a kind of grim inevitability to it. I don't know Foley, although, like any other gay man in D.C., I was told he was gay, closeted, afraid and therefore also screwed up. What the closet does to people - the hypocrisies it fosters, the pathologies it breeds - is brutal. There are many still-closeted gay men in D.C., many of them working for a Republican party that has sadly deeply hostile to gay dignity. How they live with themselves I do not fully understand. But I have learned you cannot judge someone's soul from outside. That I leave to them and their God, and some I count as good friends and good people.posted by ericb at 12:21 PM on September 30, 2006 [1 favorite]
What I do know is that the closet corrupts. The lies it requires and the compartmentalization it demands can lead people to places they never truly wanted to go, and for which they have to take ultimate responsibility. From what I've read, Foley is another example of this destructive and self-destructive pattern for which the only cure is courage and honesty. While gays were fighting for thir basic equality, Foley voted for the 'Defense of Marriage Act'. If his resignation means the end of the closet for him, and if there is no more to this than we now know, then it may even be for the good. Better to find integrity and lose a Congressional seat than never live with integrity at all."
"Foley's signature achievement came just two months ago amid smiles and handshakes, capped by a splashy bill-signing ceremony in the White House. After years of prodding and maneuvering, Foley saw final passage of his pet project: a bill designed to get tough on sexual predators.posted by ericb at 1:44 PM on September 30, 2006
The new law imposes mandatory 10-year prison sentences for sex crimes against people under the age of 18. With the Internet in mind, it outlaws depictions of the sexual abuse of children and the transfer of obscene material to minors. It also shores up requirements for sex offenders to regularly report their whereabouts to authorities.
Along the way, his office sent out one public statement after another, often in bold capital letters, warning that convicted sex offenders were running loose, evading public scrutiny despite a law requiring them to be listed in a national registry.
'We track library books better than we track sex offenders,' was his frequent refrain."
[source]
"Roll Call reports that Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY) issued a statement today in which he said that he informed Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) in early 2006 of allegations of improper contacts between then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and at least one former male page. 'Hastert’s response to Reynolds’ warning remains unclear. Hastert’s staff insisted Friday night that he was not told of the Foley allegations and are scrambling to respond to Reynolds’ statement.'"posted by ericb at 2:56 PM on September 30, 2006
H.R.5749I have the same opinion/reaction to the Foley situation as I would if I were to learn that the 52 y.o. headmaster at my 16 y.o. nephew's school was engaging him in sexually explicit banter on AOL. Same goes for if it was his 52 y.o. English teacher, soccer coach or guidance counselor (male or female). Now, if I were to learn that my nephew was engaging in similar activity online with a fellow student (male or female) that's an entirely different story.
Title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to protect youth from exploitation by adults using the Internet, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Foley, Mark [FL-16]
Hey, Ma, Dad, I've met a really cool guy online. We've kind of being having fun getting to know each other. I think I like him enough for him to be my boyfriend. Well, anyways, he's like got a really important job. Like, um, he's a congressman from Florida. He doesn't look as old as his age. He says he rides his bike to retain his youthful vigor. I met him briefly when I was on the Hill two-months ago, ya know when I was working as a page. Yeah -- he seemed really interested in us pages. Says he wants to buy me a birthday present. He thinks Tim's got a hot body and told me he'll show me how to develop bigger pecs. He's also got some tips on, um, on, um...how to enhance the male sexual experience. We even experimented together online. Well, ya' know is it alright if he comes down here to Louisiana for a visit? It'll be no problem. He can sleep in my room with me. Waddya' think? Huh? Can he? Can he?posted by ericb at 5:43 PM on September 30, 2006
"The House leaders said it is their duty to ensure House pages are safe. They said they are creating a toll-free hot line for pages and their families to call to confidentially report any incidents..."posted by ericb at 7:11 PM on September 30, 2006
"House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) was notified early this year of inappropriate e-mails from former representative Mark Foley (R-Fla.) to a 16-year-old page, a top GOP House member said yesterday -- contradicting the speaker's assertions that he learned of concerns about Foley only last week....posted by ericb at 10:20 PM on September 30, 2006
Yesterday's developments revealed a rift at the highest echelons of House Republican ranks a month before the Nov. 7 elections, and they threatened to expand the scandal to a full-blown party dilemma.
Only after Reynolds's definitive statement did Hastert concede yesterday that he may have been notified of some of the questionable activities of Foley....
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, questioned yesterday why Alexander had gone to the House Republicans' chief political operative, rather than to other party leaders. ‘That's to protect a member, not to protect a child,’ Emanuel said.
With his statement, Reynolds, who is locked in a difficult reelection campaign, signaled he was unwilling to take the fall alone amid partisan attacks that were becoming increasingly vituperative....
Republican insiders said Reynolds spoke out because he was angry that Hastert appeared willing to let him take the blame for the party leadership's silence.
A House GOP leadership aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said that Reynolds realizes he has taken a shot at his leader but that it is understandable.
‘This is what happens when one member tries to throw another member under a bus,’ he aide said.
Last night, Hastert, Boehner and Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said in a statement that Foley's communications with former pages are ‘unacceptable and abhorrent,’ and that his resignation ‘must now be followed by the full weight of the criminal justice system.’
The House clerk's office ‘has taken possession of Congressman Foley's office, and Capitol police officers have been posted in front of his office around-the-clock’ to preserve Foley's records and correspondence, said Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean."
"Sexually explicit messages from former Rep. Mark Foley to one former congressional page might be just the tip of the iceberg, the leader of an alumni association for former congressional pages told Scripps Howard News Service on Saturday.posted by ericb at 9:05 AM on October 1, 2006
While Foley resigned this week after published reports of 'friendly' e-mails to one 16-year-old male page and the pending broadcast of more sexually explicit instant messages, similar graphic messages from him were received by at least three other teenage boys who once worked in the page program, said Matthew Loraditch, a Maryland college senior who runs the U.S. House Page Alumni Association's Internet message board.
'I've known about them (messages) for several years now,' he said Saturday.
...Loraditch said his friends all thought the messages were disturbing, but they did not report them, either because they did not think the messages posed a serious threat or because they might have worried about career consequences.
He added all his friends received the questionable messages only after they had graduated and left the program, when, theoretically, that would not raise the same in-house sexual harassment issues as if they had been sent when the former pages still worked for Congress.
'This all happened after we were outside the protective umbrella of all our supervisors, not when we were there,' Loraditch said. 'To me, that indicates some sort of thought process going on in Foley's mind.'"
[Scripps Howard News Service | October 1, 2006]
"A spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed late Saturday the agency is deciding whether to press charges against former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, who hastily resigned from office Friday.posted by ericb at 9:08 AM on October 1, 2006
'We will be discussing this matter with the FBI in an effort to determine if there are grounds for a criminal investigation and if so, who has jurisdiction,' said Tom Berlinger, chief media spokesman for the FDLE.
Berlinger said the decision would be made this week. He added the FDLE had not contacted Foley about the matter.
FBI officials could not be reached for comment Saturday."
[TCPalm Florida News | October 1, 2006]
"A Republican staff member warned Congressional pages five years ago to 'watch out' for Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page.The same text as the original web posting.
Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class, told ABC News he and other pages were warned about Foley by a supervisor."
"Seems reasonably clear to me. The reptiles want the FBI to investigate ABC’s sources and see if they can find any Democratic Party and/or liberal interest group involvement in the IM leaks. A probe would also help intimidate any other potential whistleblowers who might be out there...('If you know what’s good for you kid, you’ll keep your old emails to yourself.' )and...
It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with going after Trandahl, who after all is one of the House officials the Republicans claim never saw the sexually explicit messages. If the FBI were to find out that he DID see them, it would bring the nasty stuff closer to Hastert and Co."
"Hastert still maintains the focus on just one of Foley's emails:posted by ericb at 7:18 PM on October 1, 2006
'As I am sure you are aware, there are two different and distinct communications at issue here. First, Mr. Foley sent an email to a former page of Representative Alexander in the fall of 2005. This email was determined to be "over friendly" by Representative Alexander's office but was not sexual in nature.'
...Hastert separates what he still maintains is one 'overfriendly' email and the 'investigation' of it from the existence of the explicit IMs. On the face of it, that is defensible. There has not yet been any evidence that he or anyone in Congress knew of those IMs. We'll see how far that lasts.
But his request for an investigation is directed SOLELY at those 'sexually explicit communications,' and who knew of them, when, and what they did.
'Therefore, I also request that the Department undertake an investigation into who had specific knowledge of the content of any sexually explicit communications between Mr. Foley and any former or current House pages and what actions such individuals took, if any, to provide them to law enforcement. I request that the scope of your investigation include any and all individuals who may have been aware of this matter-be they Members of Congress, employees of the House of Representatives, or anyone outside the Congress.'
That has NOTHING TO DO with how the Leadership dealt with the emails from Foley to the Page from Louisiana."
"[Foley could indeed]...face 'the full weight of the criminal justice system.'posted by ericb at 9:21 PM on October 1, 2006
Legal experts consulted yesterday said that weight could be considerable.
Though the messages made public to date stopped short of soliciting sex or proposing an assignation, some were quite graphic and asked for descriptions of intimate actions. Several states, including Florida, have laws that make it a crime to transmit communication harmful to minors over the Internet.
... 'I wouldn’t be surprised,' Ms. [Marjorie] Heins [a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice] said, 'if someone could get him criminally under a number of state laws, whether they involve the Internet or not, that prohibit unlawful contact with minors.'
But legal experts cautioned that any case against Mr. Foley would involve difficult jurisdictional and constitutional questions. At least three jurisdictions may be implicated: Washington and Florida, where Mr. Foley worked; the federal system; and perhaps other states, as information about contacts with pages emerges.
...And Mr. Foley is not the only person who could possibly face prosecution, Professor [Douglas A. ] Berman [a law professor at Ohio State University] said. 'If there were people who knew about him or protected him,' he said, “some sort of complicity or conspiracy charge is certainly viable.'"
[New York Times | October 2, 2006]
"On Friday afternoon, a strategist for Rep. Mark Foley tried to cut a deal with ABC's Brian Ross.posted by ericb at 12:30 PM on October 2, 2006
The correspondent, who had dozens of instant messages that Foley sent to teenage House pages, had asked to interview the Florida Republican. Foley's former chief of staff said the congressman was quitting and that Ross could have that information exclusively if he agreed not to publish the raw, sexually explicit messages.
‘I said we're not making any deals,’ Ross recalls. He says the Internet made the story possible, because on Thursday he posted a story on his ABC Web page, the Blotter, after obtaining one milder e-mail that Foley had sent a 16-year-old page, asking for a picture. Within two hours, former pages had e-mailed Ross and provided the salacious messages. The only question then, says Ross, was ‘whether this could be authenticated.’
The St. Petersburg Times last fall obtained the earlier e-mail, asking the 16-year-old for a picture, and interviewed the boy, who wrote a friend that he considered the message ‘sick.’ But the boy would not go on the record.
Executive Editor Neil Brown says the paper's policy against making accusations based on unnamed sources was a factor. ‘We just didn't feel like we had the story,’ he says. ‘We had a lot of stuff implied. . . . If I had it to do over again, I think we probably would have been more organized about pursuing it. But hindsight is 20/20.’
The paper did interview Foley, who assured a reporter that the e-mail exchange was innocent, Brown says.
[Washington Post | October 2, 2006]
"In addition to explicit sexual language, former Congressman Mark Foley's Internet messages also include repeated efforts to get the underage recipient to rendezvous with him at night.Drip, drip, drip. Shoe meet floor.
'I would drive a few miles for a hot stud like you,' Foley said in one message obtained by ABC News."
"Copies of the icky emails ABC published last week have been in the hands of the FBI since July, according to a group which obtained the emails months ago....Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the D.C.-based watchdog group obtained the emails in July, and shortly thereafter provided copies to the feds -- on July 21, according [to] a press release from the organization.posted by ericb at 12:56 PM on October 2, 2006
The group has denied being ABC's source for the emails.
...the FBI won't confirm the date their inquiry began. Spokesman Steve Kodak would say only that the FBI is 'conducting an assessment to determine if there's been any violation of federal law.'"
"Several House leaders had known about the matter at least since spring but failed to take appropriate action. Even accepting their insistence that they knew only of ambiguously 'overfriendly' e-mail, rather than the unmistakable obscenities that have recently come to light, their reaction is disturbing.posted by ericb at 1:31 PM on October 2, 2006
The slightest hint of a member of Congress making advances toward an underage page is a serious matter. More so because it has happened before, disgracing two congressmen in the 1980s. It speaks directly to the integrity of the institution and the safety of the teens who work for it. For that reason, House Speaker Dennis Hastert had every obligation to investigate this matter fully.
Instead he and other Republican leaders maintained what could at best be termed a posture of willful ignorance. Hastert asserts that he only recently was apprised of the matter. Members of his staff and other leaders make no such claim.
Unless a better explanation appears, the one most likely to be accepted is of an effort to sweep an embarrassment under the rug."
[USA Today | October 2, 2006]
"And if anything, these kids are less innocent — these 16 and 17 year-old beasts…and I've seen what they're doing on YouTube and I've seen what they're doing all over the internet — oh yeah — you just have to tune into any part of their pop culture. You're not going to tell me these are innocent babies. Have you read the transcripts that ABC posted going into the weekend of these instant messages, back and forth? The kids are egging the Congressman on! The kids are trying to get this out of him. We haven't got the whole story on this."I just puked a little in my mouth. Sorry, brb.
Audio clips.
"NEAL CONAN: Joining us now from Capitol Hill is Republican Congressman Mark Foley of Florida, co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. Congressman, thanks for joining us this afternoon.Full Transcript.
Rep. MARK FOLEY (R. Fla.): Thank you. Good to be with you.
CONAN: You were quoted in The New York Times today as saying the Supreme Court quote, 'sided with pedophiles over children.' Why do you think that?
Rep. FOLEY: Well, I think what we've done here is allowed people to get away, if you will, whether it's virtual reality or live children, exploiting them for sexual gratification. I think we're entering a very, very dangerous period. I'm not a prude. I have no problem with adult pornography. People are entitled to read it, watch it, see it in their homes or in public accommodations. Where I have to draw the line is using children for the excitement of those more mature people who should know the difference and know better. So I was troubled by the court's rendering. We worked long and hard on that bill to pass it in '96, and we're prepared to meet with Mr. Ashcroft and other legal scholars to define a bill that hopefully will pass the muster of the Supreme Court when we reintroduce it."
"Web pages and online message boards used by current and former congressional pages have been dominated Monday by discussion of former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida. Much of the chatter about the page program stresses what a positive experience it can be, and there is concern the entire program will suffer as a result of this scandal.posted by ericb at 8:55 PM on October 2, 2006
While many posts on Foley are filled with shock and disgust at the content of the instant messages now circulating online, some comments are emerging from former pages that Foley had made them uncomfortable.
Online mentions of Foley by pages go back several years. The House Page Alumni Association's web site has recently been taken offline, but CNN has identified archived pages including a 2004 mention of Foley's sexual orientation, and a story about Foley going out of his way to learn one page's name after a late night vote. In one 2005 exchange, a prospective page posted his intention to apply to Mark Foley's office, and the response from a House Page Alumnus was simply 'Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Foley.'"
[CNN | October 2, 2006]
History suggests that once a political party achieves sweeping power, it will only be a matter of time before the power becomes the entire point. Policy, ideology, ethics all gradually fall away, replaced by a political machine that exists to win elections and dispense the goodies that come as a result. The only surprise in Washington now is that the Congressional Republicans managed to reach that point of decayed purpose so thoroughly, so fast.Even the Wall Street Journal is coming out against the current situation in government:
The roots of Republican failures in Congress.posted by caddis at 11:58 AM on October 3, 2006
The 109th Congress has gone home to fight for re-election, and the best testament to its accomplishments is that very few Republicans are running on them. They're running instead against the peril to the country if the Nancy Pelosi Democrats take power.
...
Yet none of this excuses the more fundamental problem, which is that too many Republicans now believe their purpose in Washington is keeping power for its own sake. The reform impulse that won the House in 1994 has given way to incumbent protection. This is the root of the earmarking epidemic, which now mars every spending bill and has become a vast new opportunity for Member corruption. This is also part of what corrupted felons Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, Jack Abramoff, Tony Rudy and Michael Scanlon.
"Maf54: then we can have a few drinksAnd the relevant law(s) and penalty in District of Columbia:
Maf54: lol
Teen: yes yes ;-)
Maf54: your not old enough to drink...
Maf54: we may need to drink at my house so we don't get busted."
"Crime 3: No person may purchase alcohol for the purpose of delivering it to another person who is under 21 years of age.posted by ericb at 1:37 PM on October 3, 2006
Crime 4: No person who is not an ABC license holder may make available alcohol to any person under 21 years of age, except when necessary for the person under 21 years of age to perform lawful employment responsibilities (e.g. waiters and waitresses).
Penalties for crimes 3 and 4: $1000 fine and a maximum jail term of 180 days, or both; upon conviction for the second violation committed within 2 years from the date of any such previous offense, be fined not more than $2,500, or imprisoned up to 180 days, or both; upon conviction for the third or any subsequent violation committed within 2 years from the date of any such previous violation, be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned up to one year, or both. A person alleged to have committed crimes 3 and 4 may be issued a citation."
"Gay or straight, Democrat or Republican, it is completely inexcusable for an adult to have this kind of communication with a minor. Congressman Foley brought shame on himself and this Congress by his horrible behavior and complete lack of judgment. We strongly condemn his behavior."posted by ericb at 4:50 PM on October 3, 2006
"[ABC correspondent Brian] Ross dismissed suggestions by some Republicans that the news was disseminated as part of a smear campaign against Mr. Foley.Denny on Rush Limbaugh this afternoon: "Foley Scandal Is A Liberal Conspiracy To 'Get To Me' And 'Affect Our Election.'"*
'I hate to give up sources, but to the extent that I know the political parties of any of the people who helped us, it would be the same party,' Mr. Ross said, referring to Republicans."
[New York Times | October 3, 2006]
"..Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., a former colleague, said on Fox News Channel: 'I don't buy this [alcoholism defense] at all. I think this is a phony defense. The fact is, I think he's responsible for what he did here and I think it's a gimmick.'posted by ericb at 8:07 PM on October 3, 2006
...Some longtime acquaintances said they cannot reconcile Foley's public and private lives, including the lurid communications and the claimed drinking problem."
"The FBI is investigating a possible threat against the north Louisiana teenager who was on the receiving end of suggestive e-mails from disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley, a Louisiana congressman said Tuesday.posted by ericb at 9:16 AM on October 4, 2006
Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, said Tuesday that the young man's life wasn't threatened, 'but close to it.'
'There are people out there who feel like he is the one who (accused) Foley,' Alexander said.
...The teen served as a House page in 2005 and afterward received e-mails from Foley, a six-term Republican, asking for a picture of the then-16-year-old and what he wanted for his birthday.
...Foley sent the e-mails to the teen in late summer 2005. Saying they 'freaked me out,' the youngster forwarded them to a lawyer on Alexander's staff in late August, two days after Hurricane Katrina hit, asking her to alert Alexander.
'If you can, mention this to Rodney so he is aware,' one of the page's e-mails said. 'I wonder what he would do about it.'"
[Times-Picayune | October 4, 2006]
"FBI agents have begun to contact former congressional pages in the growing investigation of disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley, according to federal law enforcement officials.Quite the contrast from when this past May the FBI raided the office of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D- La.), seeking evidence in a probe of alleged bribery.
At least one former page has reportedly offered evidence that Foley sought to solicit sex during instant message exchanges over the Internet.
The 'preliminary investigation' appears to be heading towards a full field investigation, according to one official.
Officials say Foley's extensive knowledge of child exploitation laws may have helped guide him as to how far he could go without violating the law.
Instant messages obtained by ABC News indicated Foley met or arranged to meet young men under the age of 18 who had been pages.
Despite the fact that Foley's attorney has said Foley admits to sending the 'totally inappropriate' e-mails and IMs, the FBI has still not seized his computer and hard drive.
...The FBI confirmed today that it has not drawn up a search warrant for the equipment because the investigation is still preliminary, and they are still examining the messages they've obtained so far."
[ABC News | October 4, 2006]
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