(
Cross-posted on the River City Mud Bugle. This story is verfied, but incomplete. I am waiting on a response from the blogger of Stop Sex Predators.)
"I have been away for a while," wrote the pseudonymous blogger on the two month old weblog Stop Sex Predators, "so please accept my apologies for the lack of blog posts." His apology was unnecessary, as it was followed by the first published revelation of charges of inappropriate advances toward a congressional page against Congressman Mark Foley. He continued, "while I was away, the blog has been noticed and some shocking emails have been received!"
The scandal has since received nationwide attention from major media sources,
it led to yesterday's resignation of the Florida Republican, and it has raised
questions of foreknowledge among members of Republican House leadership. But the story originally broke a week ago Thursday on the independent weblog,
Stop Sex Predators.
The blog was started on July 28 and had only posted four times over the course of two months before lapsing into a two week period of inactivity. Then on September 21, the author, also named Stop Sex Predators, published three email tips from three congressional interns, who identified themselves as "congress intern," "hill boy," and "repub intern."
The blogger then published a fourth email the same day from another intern named "No Body." The emails named Congressmen Mark Foley (R-FL), Barney Frank (D-MA), and Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) as the target of rumors about their sexuality. Frank and Kolbe are openly gay, as the interns acknowledged in their emails.
However, two of the interns specifically accused Foley of questionable acts. One, calling himself "congress intern," related an email exchange with Foley that he terminated after the congressman said he was "going to be visiting my area." The other, identified as "repub intern," alleged that after entering the Washington gay bar Cobalt using a false identification, he entered the restroom and "[Foley] followed me in and tried to grope me."
Here is the full text of the emails:
FIRST EMAIL
From: congress intern
Signed-By: yahoo.com Mailed-By: yahoo.com
To: stopsexpredators@gmail.com
Date: Sep 12, 2006 12:34 PM
Reply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
I saw your article's about Congressional sex scandals with interns. Let me share what happened to me.I was near the end of my internship for Congressman Foley's office he asked me for my email. I was not sure why he wanted but I gave it to him anyway. A few days later I got an email from him in the middle of the night asking me for pictures. I sent him a few pictures of me and other interns at work. A few days later he emailed me asking for more pictures of me but not from work. He was looking for personal pictures of me. I ignored the email he started emailing me telling me that he was going to be visiting my area. H e said he wanted to get together with me. he wanted me to come up to his hotel romm. I think that he was looking to have sex with me. Aftern that email I block him from my email address
Congressintern01
SECOND EMAIL
From: hill boy
Signed-By: yahoo.com Mailed-By: yahoo.com
To: stopsexpredators@gmail.com
Date: Sep 17, 2006 7:55 PM
Subject: Outraged by skinterns?
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After reading your post on skinterns I wanted to fill you in on what really goes on in the halls of Congress.
I used to be a House LA on the Hill working.
When I was working up there, folks use to refer to the Terrible Three - Barney Frank, Mark Foley, and Jim Kolbe.
Everyone knows about Barney Frank's exploits...living with a man who ran a gay prostitute ring out of Frank's house...and how he how used to hit on men much younger than him.
And Jim Kolbe...everyone who works on the Hill has heard rumors about Kolbe. One of my friends even told me that Kolbe hit on him on several occasions.
Despite all the stories, Frank and Kolbe are well respected because when they got caught, they admitted that they were gay.
That and neither Frank nor Kolbe have anything on Foley.
People were always talking about seeing Foley lurking in locker rooms around DC looking for sex, how he especially likes teenage boys, and frequents gay bars around D.C. and in his district.
THIRD EMAIL
From: repub intern
Mailed-By: hotmail.com
To: stopsexpredators@gmail.com
Date: Sep 18, 2006 2:07 PM
Subject: CONGRESSIONAL CORRUPTION!!!
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My dad who gives a lot of money to republicans got me an internship capitolhill. I thought that I was hot shit, having such a good internship after myfreshman year of college.After a few weeks, I was finally learning my way around DC and I wasenjoying my job.One night, I decided to go out with my new fake ID to my first gay bar.I went to this bar named Coblot.There was old guy who would not leave me alone. He kept following me around.I tried to get him to leave me alone by going to the bathroom.Instead he followed me in and tried to grope me.A few days later my boss had me run something over to another congressmansoffice. It turned out that the guy who groped me was Representative MarkFoley.
[Stop Sex Predators]
FOURTH EMAIL
From: No Body
Mailed-By: hotmail.com
To: stopsexpredators@gmail.com
Date: Sep 21, 2006 11:18 AM
Subject: No Laughing Matter
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I am tired of people treating this thing with Congressman Mark Foley like ajoke. It is not funny. He's a danger to any young, slightly attractive youngman on The Hill. I came to Washington because I care about the future ofAmerica. I wanted to be around good and decent men like President GeorgeBush. Instead, I feel like a piece of meat. The worst part of it for me isthere appear to be plenty of my fellow interns who don't mind Foley'sparticular "path to power." Please, if there is anyone who knows what Ishould do tell me. I am genuinely afraid of this man. Anytime he is aroundhe just leers and one guy told me he asked for his email address and got abunch of invitations to go out and "party" whatever that means. Help. Help.Help.
[Stop Sex Predators]
The following Sunday, September 24, Stop Sex Predators posted images of the emails he received, which appear to be the same emails later released to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). (The CREW website is down, you can download a copy of the emails here.)
glad your home safe and sound...we dont go back into session until Sept 5,,,,si its a nice long break....I am back in Florida now... its nice here .. been raining today...it sounds like you will have some fun over the next few weeks...how old are you now?...
I just emailed will...hes such a nice guy....acts much older than his age...and hes in really great shape....i am just finished riding my bike on a 25 mile journey now heading to the gym....whats school like for you this year?
I am in North Carolina..and it was 100 in New Orleans...wow that's really hot...well do you miss DC...Its raining here but 68 degrees so who can argue..did you have fun at you conference....what do you want for your birthday coming up...what stuff do you like to do
how are you weathering the hurricane...are you safe....send me an email pic of you as well....
Two hours later, someone writing under the name "WHInternNow" published a diary on Daily Kos linking to Stop Sex Predators. The diary was met with skepticism from Daily Kos users, and received only a few largely critical comments. "This diary makes an accusation," one commenter wrote, "a serious accusation, but provides no evidence to back it up."
In a previous Daily Kos diary about Foley, "WHInternNow" made an early attempt to draw attention to Foley's peccadilloes.
The Real Problem With Foley (0 / 0)
It's not that he's gay. It's that he constantly hits on underage interns on The Hill. You guys talk about an "open secret" well Foley's eye for the young boys in the White House and around the Capitol is what has the Republican bosses scared to death. It's just wrong that this guy can hit on young boys and still be in the leadership.
by WHInternNow on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 07:48:09 PM CDT
The popular Daily Kos diarist TeresaInPa added this comment to the original diary last night:
seems you were right and no one listened (8+ / 0-)
if you or anyone you know ever wants to break a story here again, try to provide some more evidence or at least hint about where we might find it.
We are sensitive about anything that looks like a rumor coming back to bit us in the butt.
by TeresaInPa on Fri Sep 29, 2006 at 07:12:34 PM CDT
Minutes later, another commenter added, "Let's all learn something from this experience."
(Updated to correct the date and number of posts. The weblog started on July 28 and had posted four times. The diary originally said the blog started August 30 with only three posts.)