"In six terms representing a wealthy swath of southern Florida, Representative Mark Foley, a Republican, became well known for his ardent efforts to safeguard the young and vulnerable, leading the House caucus on missing and exploited children and championing laws against sexual predators," reports The New York Times.
On Friday, Mr Foley resigned abruptly after being confronted with a series of sexually explicit Internet messages he is reported to have sent to under-age Congressional pages. He stands accused of being the very kind of predator he had denounced.
The story says:
But by Friday, other pages had come forward with more blatant instant messages. "What ya wearing?" Mr. Foley wrote to one, according to the network. "Tshirt and shorts," the teenager responded. "Love to slip them off of you," Mr Foley replied.
ABC News said it had read him other messages that were far more graphic. Within hours, Mr. Foley resigned in a one-sentence letter to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. He left the Capitol without answering questions.
Comment: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
