Foley checks into alcohol rehab : "I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic ..."

[jimnysf]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 11:48am

Now they are resorting to the old rehab check-in game.

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Ex-Rep. Foley checks into alcohol rehab By LARA JAKES JORDAN,

Former Rep. Mark Foley, under FBI investigation for e-mail exchanges with teenage congressional pages, has checked himself into rehabilitation facility for alcoholism treatment and accepts responsibility for his actions, his attorney acknowledged Monday.

The attorney, David Roth, would not identify the facility, but told the Associated Press in West Palm Beach, Fla., that Foley had checked in over the weekend.

"I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and other behavioral problems," Foley said in a statement, Roth told the AP.

Foley, a Republican, abruptly quit Congress on Friday after reports surfaced that he'd sent sexually charged electronic messages to boys working as pages. In the statement, Foley said the "events that led to my resignation have crystalized recognition of my long-standing and significant alcoholism and emotional difficulties."

"I deeply regret and accept full responsibility for the harm I have caused," Foley said. He also expressed "gratitude for the prayers and words of encouragement that have been conveyed to me."

The FBI, meanwhile, "is conducting an assessment to see if there's been a violation of federal law," according to FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.

The developments sent House Republicans into damage control mode amid charges by Democrats that some House leaders may have known for months about Foley's inappropriate overtures toward the young pages.

Democrats have questioned whether the GOP leadership, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., tried to protect a House seat in an election year at the expense of the well-being of teenage pages.

Hastert issued his strongest statement yet on Monday, saying he was "outraged and disgusted with Congressman Mark Foley's actions."

The speaker was in Washington meeting with his staff, the House clerk and Rep. John Shimkus (news, bio, voting record), R-Ill., the congressman who oversees the page program, to review the procedures on protecting the teenage pages while they are working at the Capitol and after they finish their assignments, said Ron Bonjean, Hastert's spokesman.

White House press secretary Tony Snow, asked about that Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," urged greater efforts to "figure out what happened here." He called it "a terrible story" and said he considered it unfortunate that "people are thinking, 'OK, can I get political advantage out of this'."

Hastert in a letter sent Sunday to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, asked the Justice Department to "conduct an investigation of Mr. Foley's conduct with current and former House pages."

Democrats demanded that investigators determine whether Republican leaders tried to cover up Foley's actions for political reasons.

"The attorney general should open a full-scale investigation immediately," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said in a statement, including whether GOP leaders "knew there was a problem and ignored it to preserve a congressional seat this election year."

Foley's West Palm Beach district is largely Republican, but now may be won by a Democrat. Republicans are struggling to maintain their House majority in the upcoming election. Florida Republican leaders were meeting Monday to try to choose a candidate to replace Foley in the November election.

FBI cyber sleuths are looking into the text of some of the Foley messages, checking to see how many e-mails and instant electronic messages were sent and how many computers were used, according to a law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

The FBI also was trying to determine if any of the teenagers who received messages are willing to cooperate with the investigation, the official said.

Ironically, Foley, who is 52 and single, could be found to have violated a law that he helped to write as co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus.

Rep. Thomas Reynolds (news, bio, voting record) of New York, head of the House Republican election effort, said he told Hastert months ago about the allegations involving a 16-year-old boy from Louisiana.

Hastert acknowledged that his staff had been made aware of concerns about what they termed "over-friendly" e-mails Foley had sent to the teenager — including one requesting his picture — in the fall of 2005, and that they referred the matter to the House clerk.

But Hastert said those e-mails were not viewed as "sexual in nature" and that he was not aware of "a different set of communications which were sexually explicit ... which Mr. Foley reportedly sent another former page or pages."

Hastert asked the Justice Department to investigate "anyone who had specific knowledge of the content of any sexually explicit communications between Mr. Foley and any former or current House pages and what actions such individuals took, if any, to provide them to law enforcement."

Congressional pages, a staple of Washington politics since the 1820s, are high school students who serve as gofers in the House and Senate.

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Rehab

Posted: 10/2/06 at 11:54am

Hmm and I thought only frat boys turned gay when they drank....

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:12pm

This guy is a prominent member of the "party of personal responsibility", the people who loathe any "victim" defense (and are eager to fry the Yeager woman).

So as soon as he gets caught with his hand in the page shorts, er, cookie jar, he ascribes it all to booze. I'm sure this was his legal advice. And/or his publicist's.

As has been widely opined, he likely already has an Orpah appearance. "I am a Pedaphile American."

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:14pm

How convenient.

[Calvin]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:21pm

It's the Mel Gibson defense...

I think the surgeon general should alter his warning for alcohol:

Caution: Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages might cause hatred of Jews or sexual attraction to teenage boys.

[lildogs]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:32pm

I thought they ate Sebastian Veneable in the end...it's not as much fun if he checks into Betty Ford.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:40pm

And of course, once he gives up booze, he'll be wide awake, cold sober, and even more likely to reach out and touch someone. He's 52; take away alcohol, and his libido will only improve.

[lildogs]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:42pm

I didn't realize so many teenage boys were into daddies...and not even hot daddies at that.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:43pm

Any politician who says, "I strongly believe..." should have subtitles translate it as "What follows is a wonderfully thought out excuse:"

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:48pm

obviously the kid was a terrorist.
foley was just trying to get a picture of his WMD.

[lildogs]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:50pm

I hear he had a really thick uranium rod.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 3:03pm

Foley has resigned.

Does he still have insurance coverage?

Who or what is paying for this stint in rehab?

Is he eligible for COBRA?

Just asking.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 3:07pm

WOSQ - Those are good points, but really shouldn't he be booked by now? I wanna know what is taking so long for a warrant.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 3:14pm

How ironic that the Dateline shows use undercover officers and the guys get arrested immediately, yet, you have a guy going after the real thing, and absolutely nothing. [Not that I'm condoning the behavior of the guys falling for the undercover scheme.]

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 3:22pm

I love that ABC continues to one-up the FBI. As I sit here, typing this I'm so appalled. I don't know what’s crazier, Condi's new lie or Foley walking free.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 3:34pm

the dif between foley and the dateline guys is that they actually go to meet the "child" with whom they converse. from the content posted so far, while he was trying to arrange a date, he hadn't actually gotten beyond the sick and repulsive hitting on a kid over the internet stage. had this been nbc, they'd have waited until they actually had footage of foley in the kitchen with a 12-pack.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 3:38pm

At first glance I don't think Foley has committed a crime. The age of consent in DC is 16.

I do however think Foley is very guilty of extreme stupidity and first degree arrogance.

At least he had the 'decency' to resign immediately.

I wonder if he has met Jim McGreevey.

I must say that, party labels be damned, I love a sex scandal. They are what scandals ought to be and usually are not.

[javero]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:11pm

Auggie wrote: He's 52; take away alcohol, and his libido will only improve.

LOL!!!

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:28pm

At first glance I don't think Foley has committed a crime. The age of consent in DC is 16.

but under the Walsh Laws, which Foley sponsored himself, anyone under 18 is considered a minor.

So he broke a law that he himself wrote.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:40pm

Not exactly. The rule has to do with discussing or soliciting sexual acts via the internet. All he did was say his friend was in good shape. Creepy? Yes. Illegal? No.

And those IMs he wrote were prior to Bush signing it into law.

So, sadly, nothing illegal. Just immoral and worthy of all this bad press.

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:44pm

then you arent reading the same things ive been reading.

Foley asked the kid to remove his pants, to describe his masturbation techniques in detail, & tried to set up a meeting with another kid.
Updated On: 10/2/06 at 04:44 PM

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:47pm

I have to watch Nancy Grace at 8, but how can this not be illegal? I bet if they had a warrant for his computer, police would find child porn.

Something is not right here,,,, there has to be enough evidence for his arrest. This guy has all but admitted to the crime. I would imagine any online solicitations of sex to a minor is a crime, especially across state lines where it is then Federal.

Where are these kids’ parents? Why haven't we heard from them?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:48pm

Rehab. That last vestige of the scoundrel who thinks it'll make them immune from criticism from what has so euphemistically been labelled around here as "the tolerance crowd."

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:51pm

i read (and no i can't remember where now) that the kid's parents were all about this just going away quietly and that's why they didn't push for more action.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 4:53pm

Talk about baby with the bathwater.
This happened with some of the priest sex scandals too and we've seen how those children grew up without one whit of a psychological problem, didn't we?