Everything about Mark Foley totally explained
Mark Adam Foley (born
September 8,
1954) is an
American politician who served as a
Republican member of the
United States House of Representatives from 1995 until 2006, representing the
16th District of Florida.
Once known as a crusader against
child abuse and exploitation, Foley resigned from Congress on
September 29,
2006 after
allegations surfaced that he'd sent suggestive emails and sexually explicit
instant messages to teenaged boys who had formerly served and were at that time serving as
Congressional pages. As a result of the disclosures, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement opened investigations of the messages to find possible criminal charges. The
House Ethics Committee has also opened an investigation into the response of the House Republican leadership and their staff to earlier warnings of Foley's conduct.
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 moderate Republican. He spent most of his tenure in Congress as a member of the powerful House
Ways and Means Committee. He was also the first public figure to quote Vice President
Al Gore as having claimed to have invented the
Internet. On
March 12,
1999,
Reuters reported Foley as saying, "The Vice President is mistaken. The only thing he's ever invented is another tax. He didn't invent the Internet but he sure did tax it."
In late 2000, Foley played a large role in aiding
George W. Bush during the
Presidential election recount controversy in
Florida.
In 2006, Foley was a member of the Republican House leadership, serving as
deputy whip.
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 long-term relationship with a man. The story was initially published only in local and gay press; then the
New Times broke the story in the mainstream press. Other alternative press rivals, including the
New York Press, then addressed the topic. Foley held a press conference to denounce the “revolting” rumors and stated that his sexual orientation was unimportant, but didn't specifically deny the rumors. 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.
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 didn't file by the May deadline.
Actions in Congress
Legislation regarding pornography and sexual offenses
In the House, Foley was one of the foremost opponents of
child pornography. Foley had served as chairman of the
House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. He introduced a bill, coined the "Child Modeling Exploitation prevention Act of 2002" to outlaw web sites featuring sexually suggestive images of preteen children, saying that “these websites are nothing more than a fix for
pedophiles.” As it was written, the bill would have prohibited commercial photography of children, and it failed due to the unmanageable burden it would have presented to the legitimate entertainment industry. 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.
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 Bush signed it into law as part of the
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety 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.
Social issues
Foley’s stances on many social issues differ from his party’s leadership. Although a
Roman Catholic, Foley is a member of The Republican Majority For Choice. He has, however, advocated alternatives such as
adoption and
sexual abstinence. He also supports the
Patriot Act, the
death penalty, and strict sentencing for
hate crimes. Foley was a member of
Christine Todd Whitman's It's My Party Too and the
Republican Main Street Partnership. According to the
National Journal's calculations, in 2005, Foley's voting record on
social policy issues was moderate.
Other
Foley helped secure the first-ever financial commitment from Congress for the preservation of Florida’s
everglades.
Foley helped pass legislation that expedites the
deportation of non-violent criminal aliens serving their sentences in federal prisons; and helped eliminate federal prohibitions on notifying a campus community when a student commits a violent crime.
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.
Resignation from the U.S. Congress
On
September 28,
2006,
ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross reported that, in 2005, Foley had sent email messages from his personal
AOL account to a former Congressional page, asking the page to send a photo of himself to Foley, among other things. Foley’s office confirmed that Foley had 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.
The original news report prompted another page to come forward and on
September 29,
2006,
ABC News reported that it had seen excerpts of sexually explicit instant messages allegedly sent by Foley. The instant messages made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.
Kirk Fordham, Chief of Staff to
Tom Reynolds and former Chief of Staff to Foley, said that he was with Foley on
September 29,
2006 when ABC confronted him with the explicit IMs before they were publicized. Fordham then visited GOP headquarters to inform Reynolds and
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert; he returned with a one-sentence resignation letter that Foley signed. Hastert and Reynolds let it be known that if Foley didn't resign, he'd be expelled from the House. That same day, Foley tendered his resignation to Hastert as well as Florida Governor
Jeb Bush. Foley said in a statement, “I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I've had the privilege to represent.”
Once the news report became more widely known, Foley's chances of retaining his seat in Congress were limited. Hastert said in an October 2 press conference that he'd have demanded Foley's expulsion from the House had he tried to stay in office. Even if he'd tried to get his seat back, polls showed him losing badly to his Democratic opponent,
Tim Mahoney.
More pages came forward, alleging a history of inappropriate conduct by Foley dating back at least 10 years. Foley had been warned about the matter in 2005 by another House Republican and the House Clerk. Through his lawyer, Foley insisted he wasn't a
pedophile and had never had sexual contact with any minor. He explained that he'd a
drinking problem and had made the communications while intoxicated. He checked himself into a
rehab clinic on
October 2,
2006. His lawyer also revealed that Foley was molested by a clergyman when he was between the ages of 13 and 15 adding that “Mark Foley wants you to know he's a gay man.” Federal authorities said the explicit messages could result in Foley’s prosecution, under some of the same laws he helped to enact.
There was widespread criticism of Republican leaders for their response to earlier warnings and inconsistencies in their statements. In particular, many called for Hastert to resign, including some
conservative voices such as the editorial page of
The Washington Times.
On
October 19,
2006, the
Sarasota Herald-Tribune stated that a Catholic priest named Anthony Mercieca told the newspaper about an intimate two-year relationship he'd with Foley when the congressman was a teenage altar boy living in
Lake Worth, Florida. The priest is retired and living in
Malta. He acknowledged getting naked in saunas and possible "light touching", but denied contacts of a sexual nature.
November 2006 election
Shortly after Foley resigned, the Republican Party of Florida named State Representative
Joe Negron to run as the Republican replacement candidate to face Mahoney. In accordance with Florida election law, Foley’s name remained on the ballot. Votes cast for Foley in the November election counted towards Negron’s total. Mahoney called for a full investigation of Foley’s actions. Foley's district had been held by Republicans since its creation in 1973 (it was the 10th District until 1983 and the 12th District until 1993.) In an effort to use the scandal to his benefit, Negron used the slogan "Punch Foley for Joe!", instructing voters to "punch" Foley's name on the ballot to chastise him and support Negron.
Negron narrowly lost the election to
Tim Mahoney. Negron had 47.7 percent and Mahoney had 49.5 percent.
Electoral history
Further Information
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