WAPO
WASHINGTON -- A Democratic candidate accuses her Republican rival of not doing enough to stop disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley and his cybersex exchanges with teenage males in an ad for Christian radio stations.
Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is challenging seven-term Rep. Deborah Pryce, a member of the GOP House leadership, in one of the more competitive races. Kilroy's weeklong ads begin Saturday.
"What is going on in Washington? ... Deborah Pryce's friend Mark Foley is caught using his position to take advantage of 16-year-old pages," says the ad, which will air on Christian and Clear Channel Communications Inc., stations in central Ohio.
Hear the Kilroy Campaign's Radio AD
In her interview for Columbus Monthy's September cover story, "Fight For the 15th", Deborah Pryce noted now disgraced Mark Foley as one of her five friends in Washington.
Foley was the only man along with four women (all Republicans) whom she chose to single out in her response.
But truly, Mark Foley was more than just a friend of Deborah Pryce.
For years they were members of The Republican Main Street Partnership together.
Before Foley's abrupt departure last week, they had been together as part of The House Republican Leadership with Pryce as Chair of the House Republican Conference and Foley as Deputy Whip.
In 2000, Mark Foley even managed Deborah Pryce's Republican leadership campaign for GOP Conference secretary.
Just this year Foley, who was a big Republican fundraiser, gave Deborah Pryce more money than ANY other House Republican.
In what has been called "an endrun on campaign finances laws to create "round trip" donations to turn non-spendable money into spendable money", Foley's political action committee, Florida Republican Leadership PAC, gave Pryce for Congress $5,000 on April 28, 2006. Pryce's PAC, Promoting Republicans You Can Elect, turned around and gave Foley $5,000 on May 22, 2006
When the light of day hit in the Foley scandal Deborah Pryce quickly washed her hands of Mark Foley's contributions stating, "Immediately upon hearing of Mark Foley's resignation from Congress, and the reprehensible and abhorrent behavior that prompted it, I directed my staff to return any campaign funds received from former Congressman Foley."
Returning money from scandal plagued Republican politicians has become common practice this election cycle amid a series of guilty pleas, investigations and confessions of wrongdoing by lobbyists and Republican members of Congress.
Among those whose contributions have "been returned" or "found their way to charities" are former House Republican leader Tom DeLay, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio and now Mark Foley.
And Deborah Pryce could count each of them as "among her friends".
At least of those friends now formerly in Washington.