Foley failure

Politics | GOP lawmakers looked the other way as colleague sent “sick” messages to teenage boys | Mark Bergin

Just as it seemed pre-election momentum had shifted in favor of Republicans, longtime GOP incumbent Mark Foley resigned from his House seat amid reports of sexually inappropriate internet exchanges with teenage boys, former congressional pages.

Last week the fallout from that disclosure stretched well beyond a single district race as accusations of prior knowledge among Republican leaders had the entire party playing defense a month before a critical midterm election.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for a House ethics investigation into whether Republican leaders ignored warning signs and let Foley's questionable conduct slide in the interest of saving political face. The editorial board of the conservative Washington Times called for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).