CSM: How the Foley scandal unfolded

[longship]

I thought DUers might need this to debunk the spin. It's a good read.

By Linda Feldmann | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON – One week after Rep. Mark Foley (R) of Florida resigned over sexually explicit electronic messages to teenage boys, the firestorm rages. The scandal has unleashed furious finger-pointing among Capitol Hill Republicans, the resignation of a top House aide, and Democratic charges of a coverup - all as the Nov. 7 congressional elections draw near.

Thursday, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee met behind closed doors to discuss Mr. Foley's actions and the House GOP leadership's handling of early warnings that Foley was behaving inappropriately toward former pages, high school students who work on the Hill as messengers. Both the FBI and Florida law enforcement have started preliminary inquiries, in advance of a possible full criminal investigation into whether Foley violated any laws. House officials have been ordered to "preserve all records" relevant to the matter. Here are the facts so far:

<much more at link>

How the Foley scandal unfolded