"If they had, these IMs would undoubtedly surfaced. The pages were being warned to stay away from this guy - this guy's preference wasn't exactly a secret around the Capitol."
Hope you don't mind if I answer your question.
How would the IM's have surfaced if they did not surface until friday when ABC ran the story about the creepy but not sexual email to the first page? Understand that the perverted IM's where to other pages that came forward AFTER ABC RAN THE STORY ON THURSDAY!
The House should have interviewed current/former pages who Foley had dealings with.
They could have gotten the IMs direct from the sources.