USA: Former Congressman claims he was molested as a teenager

Former representative Mark Foley issued some new statements about his life today, and admitted that he is indeed gay. Through his attorney, David Roth, Foley disclosed that he was sexually abused as a child and said other details may be released at a later date. "As is so often the case with victims of abuse, Mark advises he kept his same to himself for almost 40 years. Specifically Mark has asked that you be told that between the ages of 13 and 15, he was molested by a clergyman. Mark will address this issue further upon his release from treatment," Roth told reporters. Foley resigned after the sexually explicit messages to current and former congressional pages were made public. The FBI, Florida state investigators and House ethics investigators are all looking into Foley's communications with pages, who are teenagers assigned to answer telephones, deliver documents and run other errands for members of Congress. President Bush veered from his California itinerary today to react to the controversy regarding the former Florida Congressman's e-mails to teenage pages. "I was dismayed and shocked to learn about Congressman Foley's unacceptable behavior. I was disgusted by the revelations and disappointed that he would violate the trust of the citizens who placed him in office," Bush said.

ITN Source | October 5, 2006

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