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	Foley's Lawyer: Former Congressman Was Molested As Teen By Thomas Hargrove and Amie Parnes Naples Daily News October 4, 2006 http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/oct/04/foleys_lawyer_former_congressman_was_molested_teen/?local_news Former Congressman Mark Foley was molested by a member of the clergy when he was a teenager but "continues to offer no excuse whatsoever" for sending sexually explicit online messages to teenage boys who worked as congressional pages, his lawyer said Tuesday. David Roth, Foley's lawyer, said the disgraced former lawmaker was abused between the ages of 13 and 15 but would not name the clergyman or the church where the molestation occurred. Roth said Foley "does not blame the trauma he sustained as a young adolescent for his totally inappropriate e-mails" and online messages. "He continues to offer no excuse whatsoever for his conduct." The lawyer continued to deny that Foley was a pedophile. "He absolutely never had any inappropriate sexual contact with a minor," Roth said. "Any suggestion that Mark Foley is a pedophile is false." Roth also confirmed one of Washington's biggest open secrets: Foley is gay. "Mark Foley wants you to know that he is a gay man," Roth said at a news conference in West Palm Beach. Foley resigned from Congress on Friday after reports surfaced that he exchanged a series of sexually explicit e-mails with a teenager and former congressional page. At midnight on Sunday, Roth said, he accompanied Foley to a rehabilitation facility for alcohol treatment and other behavioral issues. Foley will remain at the facility for 30 days, Roth said. Foley, a "closet alcoholic" who drank after hours, entered rehab as part of "a life decision, not a tactical one" by others, Ross said. The most recent revelations were "part of his recovery," he said, adding that Foley has asked staffers not to delete, alter or touch anything on his computer. Foley did not divulge the information about his sexual abuse sooner because of "shame, shame." "As is so often the case with victims of abuse, Mark advises that he kept his shame to himself for almost 40 years," Roth said. Alexis Walkenstein, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Palm Beach, would not comment on the claims that Foley was molested by a clergyman at a young age. "(Foley's) lawyer wouldn't say if it was a priest or an imam or a rabbi, so without that knowledge it would be inappropriate for us to comment," Walkenstein said Tuesday night. "We have no details about this and [Roth] didn't say anything about denomination, so this may not even be part of the Catholic church. "We're not going to comment on speculation," Walkenstein added. "We'll know more in 30 days." Catholicism is an important part of Foley's life. While in elementary school, he attended Sacred Heart School in Lake Worth. "At Sacred Heart, I was taught to how to be a better citizen because of their focus on discipline and moral values," Foley said in a House floor speech earlier this year. Last year, he was one of 26 House members who attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Foley also had a chance to meet the pontiff in 2003, for a celebration of the pope's 25 years in office. Foley has a portrait capturing the moment in his congressional office in Washington. His grandmother's rosary beads are draped around it. Also Tuesday, FBI agents planned to "authenticate" the widely distributed sexually explicit Internet transcripts between Foley and former congressional pages, a Department of Justice official said. In addition, agents will interview the teenagers. Justice officials said they also are considering whether federal or state laws apply in the case, the source said. It was the first confirmation that federal authorities will a conduct an extensive investigation into Foley's actions. On Monday, federal officials said they were conducting a preliminary legal assessment into the matter. But authorities were much more certain that a significant investigation would be made following the disclosure of yet more sexually explicit transcripts Tuesday. "We don't know quite what we are dealing with here," the official said. "We don't know if those are the only e-mails. If there are other e-mails, are those e-mails authentic? We are trying to get all the facts and be clear what we are dealing with." Foley, who served in the U.S. House for 12 years, resigned Friday after reports surfaced that he had exchanged sexually charged online messages with a congressional page who was still in high school. The Justice source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said officials will first try to determine if the online messages are real. "The first thing they are trying to do — there is a lot of information in the public domain — is they have to determine the validity and authenticity of this," the source said. The investigation comes as new reports surfaced that claimed Foley had Internet sex with a high school student in between House votes. According to ABCnews.com, Foley exchanged instant messages with the teenage male while the House prepared to vote on the Emergency War Time supplemental appropriations. In the exchange, Foley and the teen "both appear to describe having sexual orgasms," the ABC report said. After, Foley wrote: "ok, I better go vote, did you know you would have this effect on me" The teen responded: "lol (short for laughing out loud) I guessed" The teen continued: "ya go vote ... I don't want to keep you from doing our job" Foley then asked for "a good kiss goodnight" In another exchange Foley invited the teen and a friend to his Capitol Hill home for a drink. Teen: "are you going to be in town over the veterans day weekend" Foley: "I may be now that your (sic) coming" Later in the conversation, Foley says Congress will be adjourned that weekend. Teen: "oh good" Foley: "then we can have a few drinks" Foley: "lol" Teen: "yes yes" (Internet smiley face) Foley: "your (sic) not old enough to drink" Teen: "shhhh" Foley: "ok" Teen: "that's not what my ID says" Teen: "lol" Foley: "ok" Teen: "I probably shouldn't be telling you that huh" Foley: "we may need to drink at my house so we don't get busted"
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