Mark Foley

The Justice Department's inspector general admonished the FBI on Monday for its handling of the page scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley, saying the bureau failed to follow up on suggestive e-mails between the Florida Republican and a former male page and gave "inaccurate" public statements about the case.

A Republican House member from Florida who was expected to cruise to reelection faced questions Thursday about the propriety of e-mails he sent to a teenage page on Capitol Hill, potentially adding to the GOP's political struggles as it attempts to maintain its congressional majority. Six-term Rep.

In a setback for the Republican Party as it focuses on November's midterm election, a senior Florida congressman resigned Friday following revelations of explicit messages he sent to a male teenage House page. Rep. Mark Foley, who came to Washington with the GOP landslide in 1994 and became a staunch supporter of the entertainment industry, issued a brief statement expressing regret and then left Washington, departing abruptly while the House remained in session.

House Republicans knew for months that Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) was exchanging what were described as "over-friendly" e-mails with a 16-year-old former House page, they acknowledged Saturday. Foley resigned Friday after news reports revealed that he had sent another male teenage former House page messages that were explicitly sexual. House leaders said they had not been aware of those messages.

As pressure mounted on Republicans over their handling of the scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley, the FBI said Sunday that it had begun a preliminary inquiry to determine whether the disgraced Florida lawmaker had violated federal law by sending sexually explicit instant messages to at least one teenager who had served as a congressional page. The FBI's brief statement confirming the inquiry came shortly after House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) sent a letter to Atty. Gen. Alberto R.

THE SCANDAL SURROUNDING disgraced Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) is following the familiar Washington pattern, with one side (Democrats, in this case) alleging a coverup and the other (Republicans) railing about a setup. Even the affair itself has a familiar ring: It isn't the first sex scandal involving a congressman and teenage subordinates. What should not be missed amid the partisan sniping is the failure of those involved to see the red flags.

Mark Child voted for Rep Mark Foley two years ago, and expected to vote for him again in November. But after the disclosure that the politician had been sending sexually suggestive Internet messages to teenage boys working as congressional pages, Child is not sure what he will do. "I'm a Republican, but I don't always vote Republican," the 48-year-old carpenter said as he dined at the Tabica Grill here. "I feel betrayed."

Years before sexually explicit electronic messages sent by Rep. Mark Foley to teenage House pages became public last week, some on Capitol Hill say, the Florida Republican was known to have a special interest in younger men. In interviews with the Los Angeles Times, several current and former congressional employees and others said they recalled Foley approaching young male pages, aides and interns at parties and other venues.

Responding to the scandal over former Rep. Mark Foley's suggestive messages to teenage boys, the editorial board of the Washington Times called for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert to step down. "House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing and resign his speakership at once," said the lead editorial posted Monday night on the Times' website. The Times, one of the most reliably conservative voices in the nation's capital, criticized Hastert (R-Ill.

What R U wearing? Comfy? Don't get 2 comfy. Newly resigned Rep. Mark Foley (R-Florida) could be blaming his recent troubles on U, 2. After getting caught hitting on congressional pages with lurid shorthand e-mails and instant messages, the Florida congressman first blamed his keyboard adventures on alcohol, insulting alcoholics everywhere. Actually, I shouldn't use the word "blame."