BishopAccountability.org
	Attorney: Foley Was Molested As a Teen The Former Congressman Was Abused by a Clergyman When He Was Age 13 to 15, Attorney David Roth Said. Foley Is 'A Gay Man' By Michele Dargan Palm Beach Daily News [Florida] October 4, 2006 http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/foley1004.html Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley was molested between the ages of 13 and 15 by a clergyman, his attorney David Roth said Tuesday, but would not say where, when or by whom the molestation took place. At a late afternoon news conference, Roth said Foley "never had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor." He also said Foley wants everyone to know he is "a gay man." Roth repeatedly was asked about the religious affiliation, the identity and the location of the person who molested Foley. Roth said Foley never spoke about the incident before because of "shame, shame." "I cannot comment on whether the clergyman was a priest, a minister, an imam or a rabbi or any of the various religions in the world, which I understand are way more than 300," Roth said. Foley himself is Roman Catholic. He graduated from Lake Worth High School. Republican Foley, 52, resigned abruptly Friday after being confronted about sexually explicit e-mails and instant messages (IMs) sent to male, underage former congressional pages. Foley, who says he is an alcoholic, Sunday checked himself into an inpatient facility for treatment of alcoholism and "behavioral problems." "Mark does not blame the trauma he suffered as a teenager for his totally inappropriate e-mails and IMs," Roth said. "He continues to offer no excuse whatsoever for his conduct. "He has acknowledged responsibility for the inappropriate e-mails and inappropriate IM's," Roth said. "He has never had any sexual contact with a minor and any suggestion that Mark Foley is a pedophile is categorically false." Roth's news conference along Flagler Drive was attended by 25 to 30 local and national reporters. It followed reports earlier in the day by ABC News that more explicit Internet instant messages have surfaced, some indicating that Foley attempted to arrange a meeting with underage congressional pages for dinner or drinks. Under the screen name "Maf54," ABC News reported, the six-term congressman wrote that "we are still voting" on the House floor in 2003, while having a sexually charged instant message exchange with one teen. Roth said he had not heard about the most recent e-mails and hadn't seen a news report all day. "I have absolutely no reason to believe Mark Foley ever had teenage boys to his house to have alcohol," Roth said. The attorney said that Foley wanted the information about his sexual abuse released as part of his recovery process. "To my knowledge, Mark never drank in public," Roth said. "He never drank as part of his duties as a Lake Worth city councilman or as a U.S. Congressman. ... People close to Mark knew he was a closet drinker." Although Foley's district does not include Palm Beach, he was a frequent visitor to the island and counted Palm Beachers among his most generous political donors. Foley was expected to easily win re-election to his District 16 seat on Nov. 7. State Rep. Joe Negron of Stuart was selected Monday to replace Foley as the Republican candidate. Although Negron's name will not appear on the ballot, a vote cast for Foley will register for Negron, who faces Democrat Tim Mahoney.
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