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[[Image:Mark Foley with John Ashcroft.jpg|thumb|right|Mark Foley, with [[John Ashcroft]] in the background.]]
[[Image:Mark Foley with John Ashcroft.jpg|thumb|right|Mark Foley, with [[John Ashcroft]] in the background.]]
'''Mark Adam Foley''' (born [[September 8]] [[1954]]) is an [[United States|American]] politician, and is a former [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[1995]] until 2006, representing the [[Florida's 16th congressional district|16th District of Florida]]. A former chairman of the [[House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children]], he resigned on [[September 29]], [[2006]] after it became public that he had sent sexually explicit emails and instant messages to [[Minor (law)|minors]] who were serving as [[Congressional pages]], including male pages. <ref name="bloomberg">{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=awMK6Ha3Yas4&refer=home|title=Florida Republican Foley Resigns From U.S. House Seat|accessdate=2006-09-29|publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref>
'''Mark Adam Foley''' (born [[September 8]] [[1954]]) is an [[United States|American]] politician, and was a [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[1995]] until 2006, representing the [[Florida's 16th congressional district|16th District of Florida]]. A former chairman of the [[House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children]], he resigned on [[September 29]], [[2006]] after it became public that he had sent sexually explicit emails and instant messages to [[Minor (law)|minors]] who were serving as [[Congressional pages]], including male pages. <ref name="bloomberg">{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=awMK6Ha3Yas4&refer=home|title=Florida Republican Foley Resigns From U.S. House Seat|accessdate=2006-09-29|publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref>


== Early years and initial career ==
== Early years and initial career ==

Revision as of 05:10, 30 September 2006

Mark Foley, with John Ashcroft in the background.

Mark Adam Foley (born September 8 1954) is an American politician, and was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida. A former chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, he resigned on September 29, 2006 after it became public that he had sent sexually explicit emails and instant messages to minors who were serving as Congressional pages, including male pages. [1]

Early years and initial career

Foley was born in Newton, Massachusetts. When he was three years old, his family moved to Lake Worth, Florida. Foley is a 1973 graduate of Lake Worth High School. Foley continued his education at Palm Beach Junior College, and was a the owner, with his mother, of the Lettuce Patch restaurant, and was a real estate broker after that. [1]

At the age of 23, Foley was appointed to the Lake Worth City Council as a Democrat. After some failed bids for higher political offices, he inspired by President Reagan to switch parties. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1990 and to the Florida Senate in 1992.

He has served as chairman of Gulfstream Goodwill Industries and Palm Beach Regional Hospital. Foley also is a past president of the Central County Council of Realtors and the Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce.

Congressional career

Early House career

Foley was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 with 58 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat John Comerford. He was re-elected in 1996 with 64 percent of the vote against Democrat Jim Stuber, and again in 1998 this time without opposition. He was re-elected in 2000 with 60 percent of the vote against Democrat Jean Elliott and Reform Party candidate John McGuire. Constitution Party candidate Jack McLain was his only opponent in 2002. He was re-elected in 2002 with 79 percent of the vote and in 2004 with 68 percent of the vote.

Foley was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. He is a Republican, a member of Christine Todd Whitman's It's My Party Too and The Republican Main Street Partnership.

In late 2000, Foley played a large role in aiding George W. Bush during the Presidential election recount controversy in Florida.

Senate campaigns

In 2003, Foley was widely considered the Republican frontrunner for Bob Graham's Senate seat, especially after Graham had announced his retirement. However, longstanding rumors surfaced that Foley was either gay or bisexual and was in a longterm relationship with another man. The story was initially published only in the gay press;[2] [3] then the New Times broke the story in the mainstream press. Other papers, including the New York Press,[4] then addressed the topic. Foley held a press conference to denounce the "revolting" rumors and stated that his sexual orientation was unimportant. A few weeks later, he withdrew his candidacy, saying his father's battle with cancer had caused him to reassess his perspective on life (the seat was later won by Republican Mel Martinez). Foley had raised $3 million in campaign contributions before withdrawing.[5]

In 2006, as Republican division over the candidacy of Katherine Harris grew, Foley's name was mentioned as a contender for the race against Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, but he did not file by the May deadline.

Actions in Congress

Pornography and sexual offenses

In the House, Foley was one of the foremost opponents of child pornography. He resigned on September 29, 2006 when it was revealed he had sent sexually-themed messages to underaged Congressional pages. Foley had served as chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. He introduced a bill in 2002 to outlaw websites featuring sexually suggestive images of preteen children, saying that "these websites are nothing more than a fix for pedophiles."[6] In June 2003 he wrote letters to the governor and attorney general of Florida, asking them to review the legality of a program for teenagers of a Lake Como nudist resort in Land O'Lakes, Florida.[7]

Foley's legislation to change federal sex offender laws was supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, America's Most Wanted host John Walsh, and a number of victims' rights groups. President George W. Bush signed it into law as part of the Adam Walsh Child Safety and Protection Act of 2006.

Foley also succeeded in getting a law passed that allows volunteer youth-serving organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and Boys and Girls Clubs to have access to FBI fingerprint background checks to help protect children.

Social issues

Foley's stances on many social issues, such as abortion, differ from his party's leadership. Although a Roman Catholic, Foley is pro-choice (a member of The Republican Majority For Choice[8]) but has advocated alternatives such as adoption and abstinence.

Trade and environment

In 2001, he was one of only 23 Republicans who voted against giving President Bush a stronger hand in negotiating international trade agreements. He did offer last-minute support to the Central American Free Trade Agreement, saying that the measure, which passed the House 217-215, would not harm U.S. sugar interests in the long run.

Other

Foley helped secure the first-ever financial commitment from Congress for the preservation of Florida's Everglades.[citation needed]

Foley helped pass legislation that expedites the deportation of non-violent criminal aliens serving their sentences in federal prisons[citation needed]; and helped eliminate federal prohibitions on notifying a campus community when a student commits a violent crime.[citation needed]

Foley worked to pass legislation to help surviving heirs of Holocaust victims who have been unable to collect on life insurance policies owed to them.[9][10]

Congressional page controversy and resignation

On September 28, 2006, ABC News reported that Foley had sent email messages, from his personal AOL account, to a then-16-year-old former male Congressional page, asking the page to send a photo of himself to Foley, among other things.[11] Foley's office confirmed Foley sent the messages but said it has a practice of asking for photos of individuals who may ask for recommendations and that the page had requested a recommendation.

Foley's emails stated, in part

"did you have fun at your conference...what do you want for your birthday coming up....what stuff do you like to do"[12] and "how are you weathering the hurricane....are you safe…send me an email pic of you as well...."

The page forwarded the messages to other Congressional staffers with the comments: "Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously. This freaked me out," and "sick sick sick sick sick."[11]

On September 29, 2006, ABC News reported that it had seen excerpts of sexually explicit instant messages Foley had sent to Congressional pages.[13] The instant messages made repeated references to sexual organs and acts. In one, Foley wrote to a page, "Do I make you a little horny?" [14]

According to several former congressional pages, the congressman used the screen name Maf54 on these messages.

This exchange included:

Maf54: do you really do it face down
Teen: ya
Maf54: kneeling
Teen: well i dont use my hand...i use the bed itself
Maf54: where do you unload it
Teen: towel
Maf54: really
Maf54: completely naked?
Teen: well ya
Maf54: very nice
Teen: lol
Maf54: cute butt bouncing in the air

Federal authorities say such messages could result in Foley's prosecution, under some of the same laws he helped to enact.[15]

Foley submitted a letter of resignation from Congress on September 29, 2006 in the wake of news reports about the communications. [16] Foley said in a statement, "I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent." [17]

2005 Republican leadership response

According to the Associated Press, "Rodney Alexander, R-La., who sponsored the page from his district, told reporters that he learned of the e-mails from a reporter some months ago and passed on the information to Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Republican campaign organization.[18] Carl Forti, a spokesman for the GOP campaign organization, said Reynolds learned from Alexander that the parents did not want to pursue the matter.

John Shimkus said "that in late 2005 he learned — through information passed along by Alexander's office — about an e-mail exchange in which Foley asked about the youngster's well-being after Hurricane Katrina, and requested a photograph."[18] Foley was ordered to cease all contact with the former page and assured Shimkus he would do so.

November 2006 election

Florida Republicans plan to meet as soon as October 2 to name a replacement to run as a Republican for Foley's district.[19]

The replacement will face Democrat Tim Mahoney in the November general election, though according to Florida election law, Foley's name will remain on the ballot. [20] Any votes cast for Foley in the November election will be counted towards the party's replacement candidate [21]. Mahoney has called for a full investigation of Foley's actions.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Florida Republican Foley Resigns From U.S. House Seat". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
  2. ^ "Being gay in the GOP: Congressman Mark Foley: A model of political hypocrisy and personal cowardice", Boston Phoenix, May 30, 2003
  3. ^ Mark Meenan, "Is He Gay Or Not? U.S. Rep. Mark Foley calls press to say he won’t talk about his sexual orientation", Gay City News, May 30, 2003
  4. ^ Michelangelo Signorile, Liberace Candidate: Mark Foley’s glass closet", New York Press, May 28, 2003
  5. ^ 2004 "Outed Hill staffer condemns campaign: Mikulski and Foley become newest congressional targets as FMA vote nears", Washington Blade (District of Columbia), July 9, 2004
  6. ^ Declan McCullagh, "Too Broad a Ban on Child Models?", Wired News, May 9, 2002
  7. ^ James Thorner, "Nude summer youth camps alarm lawmaker", St. Petersbug Times (Florida), June 19, 2003
  8. ^ "About Us". GopChoice. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
  9. ^ "Congress Introduces Legislation To Address Unresolved Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims". United Jewish Communities. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
  10. ^ "BANKING COMMITTEE PASSES FOLEY AMENDMENT TO HELP HOLOCAUST VICTIMS RECOVER LOSSES". Congressman Mark Foley. 1998-06-04. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
  11. ^ a b "Sixteen-Year-Old Who Worked as Capitol Hill Page Concerned About E-mail Exchange with Congressman". ABC News. September 28, 2006. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/Foley_email3.pdf
  13. ^ Ross, Brian (2006-09-29). "Foley To Resign Over Sexually Explicit Messages to Minors". ABC News The Blotter. Retrieved 2006-09-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Espo, David (2006-09-29). "Foley Resigns From Congress Over E-Mails". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-09-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Ross, Brian (September 29, 2006). "Exclusive: The Sexually Explicit Internet Messages That Led to Fla. Rep. Foley's Resignation". {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ " Congressman resigns after e-mails questioned"
  17. ^ "Florida congressman quits following disclosure of e-mails to male page". USA Today. 9/29/2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ a b "Sixteen-Year-Old Who Worked as Capitol Hill Page Concerned About E-mail Exchange with Congressman". Associated Press . September 29, 2006. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ David Espo and Jim Kuhnhenn, "Foley Resigns From Congress Over E-Mails", ABC News, September 29, 2006
  20. ^ Florida election code Section 100.111(4)(a)
  21. ^ " Florida Republican Foley resigns from U.S. House Seat", Bloomberg, September 29, 2006
  22. ^ Smith, Adam (September 28, 2006). "Candidate wants investigation in e-mail exchange". St Petersburg Times. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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