Posted on 09/28/2006 3:21:37 PM PDT by slowhand520
Sixteen-Year-Old Who Worked as Capitol Hill Page Concerned About E-mail Exchange with Congressman September 28, 2006 3:06 PM
Rhonda Schwartz and Maddy Sauer Report:
A 16-year-old male former congressional page concerned about the appropriateness of an e-mail exchange with a congressman alerted Capitol Hill staffers to the communication.
Congressman Mark Foley's office says the e-mails were entirely appropriate and that their release is part of a smear campaign by his opponent.
In the series of e-mails, obtained by ABC News, from Rep. Foley (R-FL) to the former page, Foley asks the young man how old he is, what he wants for his birthday and requests a photo of him.
THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Congressman Ney Pleads Guilty to Accepting Lavish Gifts NY Moneyman Arrested in Teen Sex Scandal Check out the Brian Ross Webcast on Home Page The concerned young man alerted congressional staffers to the e-mails. In one e-mail, the former page writes to a staffer, "Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously. This freaked me out."
Foley's office acknowledges that Foley wrote the e-mails to the young man but says they were completely innocent and that Foley is at most guilty of being "too friendly and too engaging" with young people.
The e-mails were sent from Foley's personal AOL account, and the exchange began within weeks after the page finished his program on Capitol Hill. In one, Foley writes, "did you have fun at your conference…what do you want for your birthday coming up…what stuff do you like to do."
In another Foley writes, "how are you weathering the hurricane…are you safe…send me an email pic of you as well…"
The young man 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.
The Congressional page program was started in the 1800s. In its current form, juniors from high school work on Capitol Hill after school or over the summer. The young man in question did not work or intern for Foley's office.
Elizabeth Nicolson, Foley's Chief of Staff, said they believe the e-mail exchange began when the page asked Foley for a recommendation and that the subsequent exchange was totally innocent. She said Foley's office believes the e-mails were released by the opposition as part of an "ugly smear campaign."
new=knew.
I agree.
ROFLMAO!
Did you read the part that the kid asked for a recommendation? Perhaps the guy logged on and answered part of the exchange.
You don't have enough information to comment on this...
Ding Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!
Oh get with it. I'm sure all the freepers who are stridently dismissing this incident (because the congressman is a Republican) would LOVE it if their minor boys (or girls) were to get requests for photos from middle-aged men, and offers of birthday gifts. NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT! (When a Republican does it)
BTT!
good humor....
I too think--given the tidbits we have been given--this is inappropriate. Yet, we also must look at the timing here.
For once I agree with you. Guess you'll have to change your opinion.
Since he makes it a practice to have pictures of people who worked for him before kept in the file I am not willing to automatically assume that the guy it a closet butt pirate.
A recommendation for what?
Why would a kid need a recommendation from somebody on an AOL account, FGS.
And how did this kid get Foley's email address and he did he get HIS.
You can bet this is against the rules for Congressional pages.
I may be naive but I don't see anything inappropriate here? If he does not have kids himself, he may not really be "up" with how to talk to kids, but this doesn't seem like anything to me.
I just have one question before I form an opinion ..... what is the date of this email?
Did you miss this part:
The young man in question did not work or intern for Foley's office.
I lived on the Hill for years. I'd say about half in Congress are dirtbags -- from both parties. I could write a book on the stuff that I knew of or actually witnessed firsthand. For every story that makes the news, there about 100 that don't.
This is completely inappropriate; those pages are NOT there for social interaction with Congress people.
LOL!
My cousin interned on the Hill, too; he got there the day the big intern scandal broke...........LOL......only he was younger than 16; that was back when they didn't have to be 16.
This is completely inappropriate; any recommendation should have been handled through his office, period.
And also for people who ask for recommendations which would make sense if the kid knew Foley. We don't know if a page who worked for Foley was friends with the kid and we don't know who the kid was a page for. Could easily have been someone on a committee that Foley sat on.
Too many things we simply don't know.
That Foley was approached by this kid asking for something and the exchange gets turned over to the Democrats is curious. Who knows, we could have a guy who likes teen boys but with the democrats and their smear tactics I will have to reserve judgement until the facts are all in.
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