(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton offered the following statement today regarding the allegations against former Florida Congressman Mark Foley, who is under investigation for sending sexually explicit email messages to a minor.

“Obviously, Mark Foley’s predatory homosexual behavior is deplorable and he needs to be held accountable.  Merely resigning from Congress after being outed in the press is not enough.  If Foley’s actions rise to the level of criminal activity, as they seem to do, he must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. 

“When and what did Foley’s House colleagues know about his seemingly illegal and clearly immoral behavior and what did they do about it?  Any member of Congress who knew about Foley’s inappropriate actions before the recent flood of news coverage, and failed to take meaningful action, should resign.  And let’s be clear, the ‘overly friendly’ communications that the House leadership has admitted to knowing about are not innocent and should not be downplayed.  All of Foley’s reported communications were inappropriate and perhaps illegal.  Congressman Shimkus, Congressman Reynolds, Speaker Hastert, and Majority Leader Boehner, among others, have some serious explaining to do.

“This is not the first time Members of Congress have engaged in predatory sexual behavior towards minors.  And it won’t be the last, unless Foley is brought to justice, and any members of Congress who turned a blind eye to his actions are held accountable.”

Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code.  Judicial Watch is dedicated to fighting government and judicial corruption and promoting a return to ethics and morality in our nation's public life. 

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