Mark Foley (born on September 8, 1954 AD) is a Republican who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1995 AD to 2006 AD. Before serving in the House, Foley was a member of of the Lake Worth City Council, Florida House of Representatives, and Floride State Senate. As a Congressman, Foley served on the House Ways and Means Committee. He also played a role in the recount of the Florida ballots in the 2000 presidential election, challenging that the media's work would only "undermine the legitimacy of the presidency." [1]
Foley resigned from the House of Representatives on September 26, 2006 AD after allegations that he had made sexual advances towards several teenage boys came to light. The boys were Congressional pages, and Foley had apparantly sent them suggestive instant massages referring to sexual organs and sex acts [2]. After Foley's resignation, his lawyer alleged that Foley had been abused by a priest as a boy, and that his client was entering a rehabiliation center for alcoholism. [3]
Trivia
- The Church of Scientology listed Foley as one of their members up until the scandal [4]
- Foley was the first Republican to misquote Al Gore as saying that he had "invented" the internet. [www.dailyhowler.com/dh100606.html]
- During the Foley scandal, Fox News showed a a picture of the congressman with a graphic identifying him as "Mark Foley, D-Fl" [5].