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Mark Foley

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For the Irish hurlers, seeMark Foley (Limerick hurler)andMark Foley (Cork hurler).
Mark Foley
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives
fromFlorida's16thdistrict
In office
January 3, 1995 – September 29, 2006
Preceded byTom Lewis
Succeeded byTim Mahoney
Member of theFlorida Senate
from the 35th district
In office
November 1992 – November 1994
Preceded byJack D. Gordon[1]
Succeeded byTom Rossin
Member of theFlorida House of Representatives
from the 85th district
In office
November 1990 – November 1992
Preceded byFrank S. Messersmith[2]
Succeeded byMimi McAndrews
Personal details
Born
Mark Adam Foley

(1954-09-08)September 8, 1954(age 69)
Newton, Massachusetts,U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Domestic partnerLayne Nisenbaum (1984–died 2012)
EducationPalm Beach State College

Mark Adam Foley(born September 8, 1954) is an American former politician who served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives.He served from 1995 until 2006, representing the16th District of Floridaas a member of theRepublican Party,before resigning due to revelations that he had sent sexually explicit messages to teenaged boys who had served ascongressional pagesin what came to be known as theMark Foley scandal.

Foley resigned from Congress on September 29, 2006, acting on a request by the Republican leadership afterallegations surfacedthat he had sent suggestive emails and sexually explicitinstant messages[3]to teenage boys who had formerly served and were at that time serving asCongressional pages.[4][5]As a result of the disclosures, theFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) and theFlorida Department of Law Enforcementconducted investigations of the messages to find possible criminal charges.[6]Each ended with no criminal finding. In the case of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the "FDLE conducted as thorough and comprehensive investigation as possible considering Congress and Mr. Foley denied us access to critical data," said FDLE commissioner Gerald Bailey with the closure of the case.[7]TheHouse Ethics Committeealso conducted an investigation into the response of the House Republican leadership and their staff to possible earlier warnings of Foley's conduct.[8]

Early career[edit]

Foley was born inNewton, Massachusetts,the son of Frances and Edward Joseph Foley, Jr., a teacher and civic activist.[9]Foley served in theFlorida House of Representatives1990–1992 and then in theFlorida State Senate1993–1994.[10]

Congressional career[edit]

Early House career[edit]

Foley was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 with 58 percent of the vote, defeatingDemocratJohn 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 Brown andReform Partycandidate John McGuire.Constitution Partycandidate 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 amoderate Republican.He spent most of his tenure in Congress as a member of the powerful HouseWays and Means Committee.He was also the first public figure to imply that Vice PresidentAl Goreclaimed to have invented theInternet.On March 12, 1999Reutersreported Foley as saying, "The Vice President is mistaken. The only thing he has ever invented is another tax. He did not invent the Internet but he sure did tax it."[11]

Foley in 1994

In late 2000, Foley played a large role in aidingGeorge W. Bushduring thePresidential election recount controversyinFlorida.[12]

In 2006, Foley was a member of the Republican House leadership, serving asdeputy whip.[13]

Senate campaign[edit]

In 2003, Foley was widely considered the Republican front-runner forBob Graham's Senate seat, especially after Graham had announced hisretirement.However, longstanding rumors surfaced that Foley was either homosexual orbisexualand was in a long-term homosexual relationship. The story was initially published only in local and gay press;[14][15]then theNew Timesbroke the story in the mainstream press. Other alternative press rivals, including theNew York Press,[16]then addressed the topic. Foley held a press conference to denounce the "revolting" rumors and stated that his sexual orientation was unimportant, but did not specifically deny the rumors. A few weeks later, he withdrew his candidacy, saying his father's battle withcancerhad caused him to reassess his perspective on life (the seat was later won by RepublicanMel Martinez). Foley had raised $3 million in campaign contributions before withdrawing.[17]

Actions in Congress[edit]

Legislation regarding pornography and sexual offenses[edit]

In the House, Foley was one of the foremost opponents ofchild pornography.Foley had served as chairman of theHouse Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.He introduced a bill, coined the "Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act of 2002" to outlaw websites featuring sexually suggestive images of preteen children, saying that "these websites are nothing more than a fix forpedophiles."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.[18][19]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 Comonudist resortinLand o' Lakes, Florida.[20]

Foley's legislation to change federalsex offenderlaws was supported by theNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children,America's Most WantedhostJohn Walshand a number of victims' rights groups. President Bush signed it into law as part of theAdam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Actof 2006.

Foley also succeeded in getting a law passed that allows volunteer youth-serving organizations like theBoy Scouts of AmericaandBoys and Girls Clubsto have access toFBIfingerprint background checks.

Other social issues[edit]

Foley's stances on many social issues differ from his party's leadership. Although he professes to beRoman CatholicFoley was a member of The Republican Majority For Choice which does not believe there should be any restriction on abortion.[21]He has, however, advocated alternatives such asadoptionandsexual abstinence.He also supported thePatriot Act,thedeath penaltyand strict sentencing forhate crimes.[22]Foley was a member ofChristine Todd Whitman's It's My Party Too and theRepublican Main Street Partnership.According to theNational Journal's calculations, in 2005, Foley's voting record onsocial policyissues was moderate.[23]

Other domestic issues[edit]

Foley helped secure the first-ever financial commitment from Congress for the preservation of Florida'sEverglades.[24]

Foley helped pass legislation that expedites thedeportationof non-violent criminal aliens serving their sentences in federal prisons;[25]and helped eliminate federal prohibitions on notifying a campus community when a student commits a violent crime.[26]

Foley worked to pass legislation to help surviving heirs ofHolocaustvictims who have been unable to collect onlife insurancepolicies owed to them.[27][28]

Scandal and resignation[edit]

Main article:Mark Foley scandal

On September 28, 2006,ABC NewsChief Investigative CorrespondentBrian Rossreported that in 2005, Foley had sent email messages from his personalAOLaccount to a former Congressional page, asking the page to send a photo of himself to Foley, among other things.[29]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.[30]The instant messages made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.

Kirk Fordham,chief of staff toTom Reynolds(chairman of the fundraisingNational Republican Congressional Committee) and former chief of staff to Foley, said that he was with Foley on September 29, 2006, when ABC confronted him with the explicit messages before they were publicized.[31]Fordham then informed Reynolds andSpeaker of the HouseDennis Hastert;he returned with a one-sentence resignation letter that Foley signed. Hastert and Reynolds made it clear that if Foley didn't resign, he would be expelled from the House. That same day, Foley tendered his resignation to Hastert as well as Florida GovernorJeb Bush.[32][33]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."[34][35]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 would have demanded Foley's expulsion from the House had he tried to stay in office.[36](Ironically, Hastert himself was described by aFederal District Courtjudge as a "serial child molester"[37]and jailed in 2016 for illegally structuring bank withdrawals in an attempt to hide his own sexual abuse of four high school boys during his pre-Congressional career[38]). Even if Foley had 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 was not apedophileand asserted that he had not "had contact" with a minor.[39]

Foley also explained that he had adrinking problemand had made the communications while intoxicated.[40]He checked himself into arehabclinic on October 2, 2006.[41][failed verification]His lawyer revealed that Foley claimed he was molested by a clergyman when he was between the ages of 13 and 15 adding that "Mark Foley wants you to know he is a gay man."[42]Federal authorities said the explicit messages could result in Foley's prosecution, under some of the same laws he helped to enact.[43]

Foley resigned from the US Congress on Friday, September 29, 2006.[44]

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 someconservativevoices such as the editorial page ofThe Washington Times.[45]

On October 19, 2006, theSarasota Herald-Tribunestated that a disgraced abusive homosexual Catholic priest named Anthony Mercieca[46]told the newspaper about an intimate two-year relationship he had with Foley when the congressman was a teenage altar boy living inLake Worth, Florida.[47]The priest is retired and living inMalta.He acknowledged getting naked in saunas and possible "light touching", but denied contact of a sexual nature.[48]

Florida officials closed the investigation of Foley, stating they found "insufficient evidence" to file criminal charges since the page was over the age of consent (16).[49]

November 2006 election[edit]

Shortly after Foley resigned, the Republican Party of Florida named State RepresentativeJoe Negronto run as the Republican replacement candidate to face Mahoney.[50]In accordance with Florida election law, Foley's name remained on the ballot.[51]Votes cast for Foley in the November election counted towards Negron's total.[52]Mahoney called for a full investigation of Foley's actions.[53]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.[54][55]

Negron narrowly lost the election toTim Mahoney.Negron had 47.7 percent and Mahoney had 49.5 percent.[56]The seat fell back into Republican hands in the 111th Congress with the 2008 election ofTom Rooney.

Post-congressional life[edit]

After leaving Congress, Foley entered the real estate business inPalm Beach, Florida.[57]He alsocame outpublicly and was in a relationship with Palm Beach dermatologist Layne Nisenbaum until Nisenbaum's death in 2012.[58]On September 22, 2009, Foley debuted as host of his own radio show, "Foley on Politics," onSeaview AM 960inNorth Palm Beach, Florida.[59]

After several years removed from the public eye, Foley resurfaced as a supporter ofDonald Trumpduring the 2016 presidential election, appearing behind him in a crowd at one of his rallies.[60]

Electoral history[edit]

Florida's 16th congressional district:Results 1994–2006[61]
Year Democrat Votes % Republican Votes % Third party Party Votes %
1994 John Comerford 88,653 42% Mark Foley 122,760 58%
1996 Jim Stuber 98,827 36% Mark Foley 175,714 64%
1998 (no candidate) Mark Foley1
2000 Jean Elliott Brown 108,782 37% Mark Foley 176,153 60% John McGuire2 Reform 7,556 3%
2002 (no candidate) Mark Foley 176,171 79% Jack McLain Constitution 47,169 21%
2004 Jeff Fisher 101,247 32% Mark Foley 215,563 68%
2006 Tim Mahoney 115,832 50% Joe Negron3 111,415 48% Emmie Ross None 6,526 3%

1According to Florida law, the names of those with no opposition are not printed on the ballot and no totals need be submitted.
2Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2000, write-ins received 9 votes.
3Mark Foley's name was the one on the ballot, however, as noted above.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Our Campaigns - FL State Senate 35 Race - Nov 03, 1992".
  2. ^"Our Campaigns - FL State House 85 Race - Nov 06, 1990".
  3. ^"Three More Former Pages Accuse Foley of Online Sexual Approaches".ABC News.October 5, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon October 11, 2006.Retrieved2006-10-05.
  4. ^"Florida Republican Foley Resigns From U.S. House Seat".Bloomberg L.P. September 29, 2006.Retrieved2006-09-29.
  5. ^"Foley's Exchange With Underage Page".ABC News.
  6. ^Babington, Charles; Weisman, Jonathan (October 2, 2006)."FBI to Examine Foley's E-Mails".The Washington Post.RetrievedMay 12,2010.
  7. ^"Foley Investigations Summary, October 2, 2007".Fdle.state.fl.us. 2008-09-19. Archived fromthe originalon September 27, 2011.Retrieved2011-09-07.
  8. ^Weisman, Jonathan (2006-10-12)."Hastert Aides Interest Ethics Panel: Staff Members' Knowledge of Foley's Actions With Former Pages in Question".Washington Post.Retrieved2006-10-12.
  9. ^"Edward Foley, father of ex-legislator, dies".tribunedigital-sunsentinel.Retrieved2018-07-26.
  10. ^Lawrence Kestenbaum."Database".Politicalgraveyard.com.Retrieved2013-12-05.
  11. ^Hotline:"GORE: GOP GUFFAWS OVER HIS CLAIM HE CREATED INTERNET." March 12, 1999. (Subscription only).
  12. ^"Media's recount in Broward draws ire of Republicans".
  13. ^Smith, R. Jeffrey (October 1, 2006)."Foley Built Career as Protector of Children".The Washington Post.RetrievedAugust 5,2012.
  14. ^"Being gay in the GOP: Congressman Mark Foley: A model of political hypocrisy and personal cowardice"Archived2005-11-26 at theWayback Machine,Boston Phoenix,May 30, 2003
  15. ^Mark Meenan,“Is He Gay or Not? U.S. Rep. Mark Foley calls press to say he won't talk about his sexual preference”Archived2005-12-15 at theWayback Machine,Gay City News,May 30, 2003.
  16. ^Michelangelo Signorile,“Liberace Candidate: Mark Foley’s glass closet”Archived2006-12-06 at theWayback Machine,New York Press,May 28, 2003.
  17. ^2004 “Outed Hill staffer condemns campaign: Mikulski and Foley become newest congressional targets as FMA vote nears”Archived2005-10-30 at theWayback Machine,Washington Blade(District of Columbia), July 9, 2004.
  18. ^Declan McCullagh,"Too Broad a Ban on Child Models?",Wired,May 9, 2002.
  19. ^Thorne, Samuel (Summer 2004)."Webe Web Fashion Models (A Cultural Analysis of Preteen Models at CSM Child Super Models)".CR Student.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-09-02.Retrieved2006-10-02.
  20. ^James Thorner,"Nude summer youth camps alarm lawmaker",St. Petersburg Times(Florida), June 19, 2003.
  21. ^"About Us".GopChoice. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-05-25.Retrieved2006-09-29.
  22. ^"Foley, Mark".ontheissues.org.Retrieved2006-10-04.
  23. ^"National Journal – Liberal on Social Policy".Archived fromthe originalon 2006-12-13.
  24. ^"Arthur R. Marshall Foundation – board of directors".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-05-15.Retrieved2006-10-03.
  25. ^"THOMAS (Library of Congress – H.R.668 (H.AMDT.142))".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-10-18.Retrieved2006-10-04.
  26. ^"THOMAS (Library of Congress – H.AMDT.603 amending H.R. 6)".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-10-18.Retrieved2006-10-04.
  27. ^"Congress Introduces Legislation To Address Unresolved Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims".United Jewish Communities.Archived fromthe originalon 2006-10-19.Retrieved2006-09-29.
  28. ^"Banking Committee Passes Foley Amendment to Help Holocaust Victims Recover Losses".Congressman Mark Foley. 1998-06-04. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-09-27.Retrieved2006-09-29.
  29. ^"Sixteen-Year-Old Who Worked as Capitol Hill Page Concerned About E-mail Exchange with Congressman".ABC News.September 28, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon October 4, 2006.Retrieved2006-09-28.
  30. ^Ross, Brian;Sauer, Maddy (2006-09-29)."Foley To Resign Over Sexually Explicit Messages to Minors".ABC News The Blotter. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-09-30.Retrieved2006-09-29.
  31. ^Wallsten, Peter; Hamburger, Tom (2006-10-07)."Onetime Loyal Aide Now Stands to Undermine GOP".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedAugust 5,2012.
  32. ^"How Foley Scandal Could Cost Bush Congress".Newsweek. October 9, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon October 9, 2006.
  33. ^"Congressman resigns after e-mails questioned"ArchivedOctober 4, 2006, at theWayback Machine
  34. ^"Florida congressman quits following disclosure of e-mails to male page".USA Today.September 29, 2006.
  35. ^"Statement from Mark Foley"(PDF).ABC News.Retrieved2013-12-05.
  36. ^"Comments from Speaker Dennis Hastert on Congressman Mark Foley Matter".The Washington Post.Office of the Speaker of the House. October 2, 2006.RetrievedMay 12,2010.
  37. ^Davey, Monica; Bosman, Julie; Smith, Mitch (April 28, 2016)."Dennis Hastert Is Sentenced to 15 Months, and Apologizes for Sex Abuse".The New York Times.p. A1.RetrievedAugust 30,2016.
  38. ^Monica Davey and Mitch Smith (April 8, 2016)."Hastert Molested at Least Four Boys, Prosecutors Say".New York Times.RetrievedAugust 30,2017.
  39. ^Tuller, David (October 4, 2006)."What To Call Foley".Slate.San Francisco, California:The Slate Group.RetrievedMay 6,2015.'Any suggestion that Mark Foley is a pedophile is false,' the former congressman's lawyer, David Roth, said Tuesday at a news conference in West Palm Beach, Fla.
  40. ^Newman, Maria (October 3, 2006)."Bush Says He Is 'Shocked' by Scandal".The New York Times.New York City.RetrievedApril 19,2018.
  41. ^"Sixteen-Year-Old Who Worked as Capitol Hill Page Concerned About E-mail Exchange with Congressman".Associated Press. September 28, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-10-21.RetrievedSeptember 29,2006.
  42. ^"Foley lawyer makes statement".CNN. October 2, 2006.Retrieved2006-10-04.
  43. ^Ross, Brian;Rhonda Schwartz; Maddy Sauer (September 29, 2006)."Exclusive: The Sexually Explicit Internet Messages That Led to Fla. Rep. Foley's Resignation".Archived fromthe originalon October 4, 2006.
  44. ^http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS[permanent dead link],Congressman quits after messages to teens found by CNN's Dana Bash, CNN Washington Bureau, September 30, 2006,[1]
  45. ^"Resign, Mr. Speaker".The Washington Times.2006-10-03.Retrieved2006-10-10.
  46. ^"Anthony Mercieca—Assignment Record".Bishop Accountability.Retrieved12 November2019.
  47. ^"Priest tells of Foley relationship".October 19, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon November 7, 2019.RetrievedOctober 19,2006.
  48. ^"Retired Priest Admits Encounters With Foley",The Washington Post,October 20, 2006.
  49. ^Chicago Tribune,September 20, 2008 Section 1, page 4, 'Nation Briefing'.
  50. ^Caputo, Marc and Long, Phil,"GOP taps Negron to run for Foley's seat".Miami Herald.October 2, 2006.[permanent dead link]
  51. ^"Democrat Tim Mahoney wins race to replace Mark Foley".USA Today. 2006-11-08.Retrieved2015-02-12.
  52. ^“Florida Republican Foley resigns from U.S. House Seat”,Bloomberg,September 29, 2006.
  53. ^Smith, Adam (September 28, 2006)."Candidate wants investigation in e-mail exchange".St Petersburg Times.Retrieved2006-09-28.
  54. ^"Florida's 16th District: Tim Mahoney (D)".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-30.
  55. ^"November 7, 2006 Washington Monthly Election Day Blog".Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2011.
  56. ^"Florida Department of State – Election Results".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-02-06.Retrieved2013-12-05.
  57. ^Walter, Vic and Krista Kjellman."Speaker Pelosi Won't Help Foley Investigators",ABC News,16 January 2008.
  58. ^Jennifer Bendery,Jennifer (March 23, 2012)."Mark Foley's Longtime Partner Dies: Report".Huffington Post.Retrieved12 April2016.
  59. ^Down-and-Out Ex-D.C. Figures Find Second Life on Talk RadioArchived2009-09-25 at theWayback MachineFox News,Monday, September 21, 2009.
  60. ^"Disgraced ex-congressman sits behind Trump at rally".CNN.11 August 2016.
  61. ^"Election Statistics".Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-07-30.Retrieved2007-08-08.

External links[edit]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of theU.S. House of Representatives
fromFlorida's 2nd congressional district
1995–2006 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence(ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_Foley&oldid=1232354538"