If you liked that guy, I bet you LOVE this guy.
The
Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September 2006, centers on
soliciting e-mails and sexually suggestive
instant messages sent by
Mark Foley, a
Republican Congressman from
Florida, to teenaged boys who had formerly served as
congressional pages. Investigation was closed by the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on September 19, 2008 citing insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges as both "Congress and Mr. Foley denied us access to critical data", said FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
[1] The scandal grew to encompass the response of Republican congressional leaders to previous complaints about Foley's contacts with the pages and inconsistencies in the leaders' public statements.
[2][3][4][5][6] There were also allegations that a second Republican Congressman,
Jim Kolbe, had improper conduct with at least two youths, a 16-year-old page and a recently graduated page.
[7][8]
The scandal led to Foley's resignation from Congress on September 29, 2006. In some quarters, the scandal is believed to have contributed to the Republican Party's loss of control over Congress in the
November 7, 2006 election, as well as the end of
House Speaker Dennis Hastert's leadership of the House Republicans.
Kirk Fordham, chief of staff to Rep.
Tom Reynolds and former chief of staff for Foley, also resigned as a result of the scandal.