DRIVE IT HOME

What Did They Know And When Did They Know It…

Shimkus said in a statement last night, "in late 2005, I was notified by the then Clerk of the House," that Alexander had told the Clerk "about an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House Page. I took immediate action to investigate the matter."

In the e-mail, "Foley asked about the former Page's well-being after Hurricane Katrina and requested a photograph," Shimkus said. He said Foley assured him it was an innocent exchange, but "nevertheless, we ordered Congressman Foley to cease all contact" with the boy and to respect all pages. "Only now have I learned that Congressman Foley was not honest about his conduct," Shimkus said.


In Congress, Foley pushed bills to deport imprisoned illegal immigrants and to amend the Constitution so that children born in the United States are not automatically citizens. He also sought to increase the number of immigrants admitted as farmworkers. He obtained a Government Accountability Office report into irregularities at cemeteries and crematoriums, and he called for tougher regulation of funeral workers.

Foley chaired the House caucus on missing and exploited children and was credited with writing the sexual-predator provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which Bush signed in July. A photo on the White House Web site shows Foley among those attending the signing ceremony.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901574_2.html