CLAIM: FILTHY FOLEY ONLINE MESSAGES WERE PAGE PRANK GONE AWRY

Drudge Report ^ | 10/5/07 | Drudge

[kcvl]

>XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU OCT 5 2006 2:53:48 ET XXXXX

CLAIM: FILTHY FOLEY ONLINE MESSAGES WERE PAGE PRANK GONE AWRY
**World Exclusive**
**Must Credit the DRUDGE REPORT**

According to two people close to former congressional page Jordan Edmund, the now famous lurid AOL Instant Message exchanges that led to the resignation of Mark Foley were part of an online prank that by mistake got into the hands of enemy political operatives, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.

According to one Oklahoma source who knows the former page very well, Edmund, a conservative Republican, goaded an unwitting Foley to type embarrassing comments that were then shared with a small group of young Hill politicos. The prank went awry when the saved IM sessions got into the hands of political operatives favorable to Democrats.

The primary source, an ally of Edmund, adamantly proclaims that the former page is not a homosexual. The prank scenario was confirmed by a second associate of Edmund. Both are fearful that their political careers will be affected if they are publicly brought into the matter.

The prank scenario only applies to the Edmund IM sessions and does not necessarily apply to any other exchanges between the former congressman and others.

The news come on the heels that Edmund has hired former Timothy McVeigh attorney, Stephen Jones.

Developing...

[beyond the sea]

http://buy.chesters.com/PopCommerce/Orville.asp

[b4its2late]

He's also going to sing like a bird to avoid his own prosecution.....names, etc.

Then after all that passes, he'll sign a book deal with a $5 million advance.......

[paratrooper82]

Too bad the dems were not talking about that in the beginning instead of salivating over the chance to take down Republicans and gain an upper hand over a contrived scandal fueled by them!

[Cold Heat]

Conservatives, you are either with us or against us

LOL, don't give them choices, or they get all bent out of shape....

[gridlock]

So, who do you see as being particularly aggregious in wanting to throw Denny Hastert under the bus? I just breezed right past all those posts, so I really couldn't say.

The blowback on this one is going to be a b!tch.

[pgkdan]

Fawn, that was Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis's cousin..:)

Jerry Lee Lewis was a cousin to Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggert but he's no kin to Elvis.

[Fawn]

Yeah ...tons but I still am confused on who's who!

[SevenofNine]

OMG thank for the ping Howlin rack it ROFL

[codercpc]

But didn't Foley actually send the messages? How does that make them fake?

This is speculation, but I think the ex pages got ahold of Foley's email address and started the conversation. They probably thought it was a big joke to lead the gay Congressman on, and see how long it would go on. I have questioned why all of the IM's seemed to come from a period of time 3-4 years ago, and then mysteriously stopped. From what anyone has reported, there were no accusations against Foley until that email came out last year. Does a true Internet predator (not saying that what Foley did wasn't disgusting and wrong) really just stop?

I will be waiting on Jordan's official statement (if one comes), who knows maybe they outed themselves to him at the end of the correspondences, and that is why there haven't been more.

[jwparkerjr]

I wonder if Foley wasn't about ready to be done with his difficult life of being a Republican AND in the closet for years.

[BigSkyFreeper]

He's also a terrible speller. This was the wanker who caused all this trouble?

 

[Fresh Wind]

Prank or not, I'd love to see ABC get their collective a$$es sued by this guy!

[Positive]

"It is my guess that, if it is true that this was a hoax, Foley did not know it and responded with salacious e-mail. So he had to resign because of what he wrote, not what he received.

My understanding of the time is this: 1 - There is a report that Foley exchanged emails with an underage former page...EMAIL that seemed a little too friendly.

2 - Foley almost immediately resigned...then checked into alcoholic rehab.

3 - LATER ABC reports AIM messages which are somewhat more explicit. AIM stands for AOL Instant Message...these are different from EMAIL.

4 - Now it seems that the AIMs were a prank and that the former page Jordon Edmonds was over 18 at the time the AIMs supposedly occurred and they were actually a prank to goad Foley into typing something explicit...

Point is Foley resigned due to #1, the reasonably innoquous emails...not the post resignation apparently more explicit AIMs AND the now apparently NOT UNDERAGE correspondent.

Why did he resign...shame, embarrassment AND/OR yet to break info.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Haestart suspects something:

I just posted this:

Hastert defiant in page scandal ~ blames ..ABC News and Demo operatives for the mushrooming scandal

[Welike ike]

I hope it is that Lord of the rings punk, Rahm "Gollum'Emanuel

[MNJohnnie]

The other thing people should consider. IF true it just shattered the rhythm of the Democrat Attack machine was in. It just destroyed what ever follow up the Dem's were planning to keep the Oct Surprise running. NOW they got to come up with something else, and that gets harder. For a short time, probably up to the Election people are going to be a little gun shy about jumping on stories like this for fear of being burned.

[Fury]

This story is happening so fast, that I need to ask a question - was the former page trying to shake down Foley or did he make a false statement to the FBI already?

[jazusamo]

ping me and freep mail me

Will do that Dave, there have been two that I know of already that were bounced.

[blogblogginaway]

Freeh was never appointed because of Dems objections.

On Drudge ........

Does not appoint former FBI chief Louis Freeh to investigate the page program -- as widely reported --because of objections from Democrats... Developing...

http://drudgereport.com/

[goodnesswins]

I do NOT believe it......I think it's their way of getting out of this mess.....