Posted on 09/29/2006 12:56:16 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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 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.
The two-sentence statement did not refer to the e-mails and gave no reason for Foley's decision to abruptly abandon a flourishing career in Congress.
Foley, 52, had been a shoo-in for a new term until the e-mail correspondence surfaced in recent days.
His resignation comes less than six weeks before the elections. It was not clear how Republicans would fill his spot on the November ballot.
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.
It was not clear what prompted Foley to abruptly decide to give up a successful career in the House.
Foley, who represents an area around Palm Beach County, e-mailed the page in August 2005. The page had worked for Rep. Rodney Alexander (news, bio, voting record), R-La., and Foley asked him how he was doing after Hurricane Katrina and what he wanted for his birthday. The congressman also asked the boy to send a photo of himself, according to excerpts of the e-mails that were originally released by ABC News.
Foley's aides initially blamed Democratic rival Tim Mahoney and Democrats with attempting to smear the congressman before the election.
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-La.
"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."
Gary Studds got the kid bleepfaced and buggered him in his congressional office. If it had happened in MA he would have been charge with rape of a minor child but the DC age of consent was lower.
There are several threads, look for one with IM in the title.
He resigned VERY quickly, and he was very far ahead in the polls. If this were innocent, he likely could have weathered the storm. He's been around long enough that his constituents would probably have stuck through a false smear.
So he's resigning because he got the pages sticky?
The conclusion is correct, but irrelevant. I do not want our party to dumb down its standards.
The allegations are evidently true and the man is a rancid pervert. He should resign.
I am furious with selfish Republicans who wait until it's too late for us to save a seat, not to mention their lack of responsibility to conservative voters and the other members of their party.
His family? Is he married?
Shoulda used a bookmark instead of bending over the page.
They have too many skeletons in their closet. The Republicans can say we discipline our members and you don't. Then bring up Barney Fife, Garry Studds and various other freaks.
The Pubbies can designate a replacement candidate although they can't replace his name on the ballot.
Make lemonade out of this lemon, by getting a replacement quick and then point out that a democrat barney frank has nor resigned even though a homosexual prostitution ring was run out of his house.
Maybe we will see the gay congressman appear on an upcoming "To Catch a Predator" on Dateline.
hear* even...
He will write a book and be on oprah soon...
Good riddance. Phew!
What's Barney Franks position on this?
I afraid of the answer.
Barney's going to be behind him on this one.
I wonder if he will be on Oprah... perhaps a book signing with Gov. McGreevy....
Isn't his position usually face down?
Something about gladiator movies.
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