Clerk asked to look into report of Foley incident at page's dorm By Larry Wheeler
Florida Today
WASHINGTON — A senior House Republican has asked the House clerk to look into allegations that then-Rep. Mark Foley was turned away from the congressional page dorm on Capitol Hill after arriving there intoxicated one night.
Lawmakers have been talking about the alleged incident since Friday, when Foley resigned amid reports he sent sexually explicit Intenet e-mails to a House page.
U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, is calling for a further investigation of the dorm report. “Congresswoman Pryce contacted the clerk and asked her to look into this rumor,” said Geoff Embler, a spokesman for Pryce.
Rep. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, asked Pryce and other House leaders, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, about the alleged incident during a conference call Monday evening, Embler said.
Foley’s attorney, David Roth, could not be reached for comment.
Pryce also sent a letter to all Republican House members urging them to contact the proper authorities if they have specific information about allegedly inappropriate behavior by any House member, staffer or employee, Embler said.
A spokesman for Wicker declined to comment.
A search of official incident reports logged by the U.S. Capitol Police, who provide security at the dorm, turned up no mention of Foley, said Jeffrey Scruggs, an officer in the department’s reports processing division.
And no complaints have been filed against Foley by anyone at the page dorm, said Salley Collins, a spokeswoman for the House Administration Committee, which oversees the clerk’s office.