FBI Knew in July About Foley E-Mails to Teen

Washington Post ^ | October 3, 2006 | Charles Babington & Jon Weisman

[gopwinsin04]

The FBI acknowledged yesterday that it did not begin an investigation in late July after receiving copies of e-mails sent in 2005 by then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) to a Louisiana teenager -- messages that troubled the boy's parents.

But the GOP's handling of the Foley matter has rocked the party since it was revealed last week that Foley had sent far more sexually explicit electronic messages to teenage former pages in 2003 and 2004.

Many Democrats and some Republicans sharply criticized the decision by key House GOP members to handle the matter of the Louisiana e-mails so quietly that only one of the three lawmakers who oversee the page program knew anything about it.

Also yesterday, ABC News posted on its Web site instant messages -- reportedly between Foley and another former House page -- in which the lawmaker repeatedly tried to set up a dinner date and indicated that the boy had spent time with him in San Diego.

Officials from the liberal-leaning group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said yesterday that they received copies of the Louisiana e-mails on July 21 and turned them over to the FBI the same day. Melanie Sloan, the group's executive director, said she spoke with a special agent in the Washington field office, and she questioned yesterday why the FBI did not investigate Foley weeks ago.

An FBI official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the field office concluded that the e-mails "did not rise to the level of criminal activity." The bureau announced Sunday that it would begin a preliminary investigation into Foley's more explicit electronic exchanges with teenagers.

[tractorman]

Foley should have switched to the Rat party and there would be no scandal.

[100-Fold_Return]

So Foley's the "October Surprise?"

[umgud]

FBI Knew in July About Foley E-Mails to Teen, but not the more explicit IM's.

There, I fixed the MSM title.

[Diogenesis]

Sen Clinton: "The FBI provided us with complete files ... I mean "badges of courage".

[MNJohnnie]

Isn't interesting that the SAME Democrats who have for decades pushed and prodded and demanded that not only should homosexuality should not only be publicly accepted but that the age of consent for homosexual contact be pushed lower and lower NOW want to posture as defenders of a "youth" whom by their own actions they have made a consenting adult?

The SAME people who sued all the way to the US Supreme Court to force the Boy Scouts to accept male homosexual scout leaders NOW want to posture as outraged by a male homosexual preying on teenage boys? Where where these IM's a year ago when Foley was ordered to cease all contact with the "youth"?

Curious, a series of emails and IMs from 2003 and 2005 are suddenly being shopped around to Junk Media outlet 5 weeks before an election by a George Soro's funded self styled "Public Watch Dog" group called CREW. CREW headed by Melaine Stone, a former assitant to Senator "Slimy" Schumer. The SAME Senator Schumer who happens to be this year's head of the Senate Democrat Reelection Committee.

Foley is gone. He is is current under investigation by the FBI. Thanks to the Democrats pandering to the Homosexual Lobby he probably hasn't even broken any laws. However if he did break any law, he will be prosecuted and punished. Funny how that same standard is not being applied to the 56 Congressional Democrats, including Harry Reid and John Murtha, under investigation on various ethics charges at this time.

The real story now should be just how is it possible for a Democrat Party front groups to stage manage the coverage in our supposed " Objective and Independent" news media so easily? It is another example of just how corrupt and incestuous is the relationship between the US "News" media and the Democrat Party Establishment.

Conservatives are simply way too naive. They are far too easily manipulated by the Washington DC Political-Media Complex. Conservatives should know by now these people are your political blood foes, NOT a serious source of information.

[Mo1]

FBI Knew in July About Foley E-Mails to Teen, but not the more explicit IM's.

The media sure likes to blur the two and make people think they are the same

[ArGee]

My response to this issue:

You mean you're telling me that now the Democrat party is the anti-perversion party?

Just keep repeating that. Those of you with the hip waders who wade around in the filth at DU should post it over and over.

Shalom.

[Ben Hecks]

Foley should have switched to the Rat party and there would be no scandal.

After a short press conference to announce the switch, he should have then booked himself on Oprah and Larry King Live before checking himself into a drug/alcohol clinic. He would have been a hero - what courage - the media would be fawning all over him.

[what's up]

So even the FBI didn't find the IM's but somehow the Speaker was supposed to know about them? Sheesh.

[Fresh Wind]

So Foley's the "October Surprise?"

The Rat October surprise. What does Rove have up his sleeve? Something unrelated? Or, will the Foley thing spread out to involve some high level Rat's? Maybe Rove knew this was coming, and also knew where it would lead. Maybe that's was the October surprise Rove was hinting at. Gotta stock up on popcorn!

[SoFloFreeper]

The SAME Senator Schumer who happens to be this year's head of the Senate Democrat Reelection Committee.

The same Schumer whose committee illegally obtained a credit report for the BLACK REPUBLICAN Michael Steele? Is it that same Schumer?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The MSM continues to intermingle references to emails and text messages in order to pretend the GOP knew all along.

The bad stuff is in the text messages, and the House leadership never saw them until ABC News initiated its Black Op on behalf of the DNC by releasing them.

[twigs]

An interesting point. It seems that the Dems knew about them though. The timing of their release is not surprising. Dens care about the children when they can use them.

[tobyhill]

"But the GOP's handling of the Foley matter has rocked the party since it was revealed last week that Foley had sent far more sexually explicit electronic messages to teenage former pages in 2003 and 2004."

Liars, liars! They were not e-mails, they were IMs! If the FBI had the "e-mails" and did no investigation then it must have been determined not to be obviously illegal.

[twigs]

I personally think the Dems were planning this, as they were orchestrating a whole series of leaks leading up to the election (George Allen, Bob Woodward's book, etc.). I think Clinton's appearance on Fox was supposed to be something of a kick-start to the Dems dirty tricks. Then when it somewhat back fired and Clinton was the subject of the news cycle, the consensus being that he had lost control, they broke this story early to get Clinton off the front pages. This orchestration of leaks and inuendos reminds me of Clinton's White House War Room. He's behind all this.

[jveritas]

An FBI official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the field office concluded that the e-mails "did not rise to the level of criminal activity."

This should end the debate and the Republicans should use this in every argument they make regarding this Foley issue.

[P-40]

only one of the three lawmakers who oversee the page program knew anything about it.

That was probably the biggest mistake in the whole affair. If all three were involved in the discussion then the story would not be quite the same.

[LibLieSlayer]

Many of the people bashing Hastert were throwing Rove to the wolves in the fabricated plamegate scandal. Many are actually dim agents and Jim is actively banning those that are outed!

LLS

[codercpc]

According to Drudge, ABC Brian Ross had the "emails" since August, but Ross was "too busy" with Katrina, and 9-11 stories to write about it then. There is no link on Drudge, just the statement, so I don't know if they were the e-mails, or the IM's they had in August, but either way it proves Hasterts point.

1. If it was just the original email, ABC didn't seem to concerned to pursue it. But....

2. If it was the IM's, I don't think there is any excuse for keeping them for over a month, unless Brian Ross thought they would be most effective politically to wait.