The Rise and Fall of Rep. Mark Foley

Timeline, 2006


Spring 2006 - House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-OH) told The Washington Post he had learned of inappropriate "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page in the spring of 2006. WaPo

21 July 2006 - According to a 2 October St Pete Times story, on this date Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington "gave the FBI e-mails from Foley to the Louisiana page." Later, the group "followed up with a call to an agent." The FBI did not contact CREW.

28 July 2006 - Someone starts a blog, Stop Sex Predators. It would later be the first to publish jpgs of the e-mails between Foley and the Louisiana intern.

28 September 2006 - ABC News reports Foley carried on an inappropriate e-mail exchange with a 16-year-old page.

29 September 2006 - ABC News questions Foley "about sexually explicit internet messages with current and former congressional pages under the age of 18."

Hours later, Foley resigns.

On 2 October, Howard Kurtz of the WaPo reports that "a strategist for Rep. Mark Foley tried to cut a deal with ABC's Brian Ross... Foley's former chief of staff said the congressman was quitting and that Ross could have that information exclusively if he agreed not to publish the raw, sexually explicit messages."

Roll Call reports that "the House passed a resolution directing the ethics committee to begin an inquiry into Foley’s behavior."

30 September 2006 - Foley enters alcohol rehab center. AP

2 October 2006 - ABC News released new instant messages that show Foley, using the screen name Maf54, trying to arrange a meeting with teenaged boys.

The FBI has opened a "preliminary investigation."

The Florida GOP has picked State Rep. Joe Negron to replace Foley in the 7 November general election. However, state law requires that it be Foley's name that appears on the ballot.

9 October 2006 - WaPo: Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) confirmed that his office knew of inappropriate e-mail correspondence with a male page in 2000. Kolbe, who is gay, is retiring this year.