Holy Cow. FL Congressman Mark Foley has decided not to seek re-election and has submitted a letter of resignation…
WASHINGTON – Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla., submitted a letter of resignation from Congress on Friday in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former male page, according to a congressional official.
Foley, 52, had been considered a shoo-in for re-election until the e-mails surfaced in recent days.
Campaign aides had previously acknowledged that the Republican congressman e-mailed the former Capitol page five times, but had said there was nothing inappropriate about the exchange. The page was 16 at the time of the e-mail correspondence.
SNIP
Foley was running for re-election to a seventh term. He has represented his district, which includes West Palm Beach, since 1995. Florida Republicans could replace Foley on the ballot
UPDATE: According toTPM Foley’s name will stay on the ballot…
That creates a headache for the Florida Republicans. According to state law, they can pick a new candidate — but Foley’s name will stay on the ballot.
UPDATE: Ok Holy Shit.
ABC has the sexually explicit instant messages from the man who was the chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children…
They say he used the screen name Maf54 on these messages provided to ABC News.
Maf54: You in your boxers, too?
Teen: Nope, just got home. I had a college interview that went late.
Maf54: Well, strip down and get relaxed.
Another message:
Maf54: What ya wearing?
Teen: tshirt and shorts
Maf54: Love to slip them off of you.
And this one:
Maf54: Do I make you a little horny?
Teen: A little.
Maf54: Cool.
The language gets much more graphic, too graphic to be broadcast, and at one point the congressman appears to be describing Internet sex.
Federal authorities say such messages could result in Foley’s prosecution, under some of the same laws he helped to enact.
UPDATE: OK I’m out of Holy Whatevers
Again fromTPM…
So Rep. Alexander knew about this 10 or 11 months ago. And he says he notified the House leadership. That means Hastert and (at the time) either Tom DeLay or Rep. Blunt (R-MO). We don’t know it was either of those three men yet. But that’s what Alexander means when he says he “notified the House leadership.” They’re the House leadership.
If I’m understanding this correctly, that means that the leaders of the House Republican caucus have known for almost a year that a member of their caucus was having cybersex with an underage congressional page. And apparently they did nothing about it.
I think this story is about to get a lot bigger.