Foley using campaign funds to pay lawyer fees

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 17, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH - Former Rep. Mark Foley, who resigned from Congress amid an Internet teen sex scandal, has racked up nearly a half-million dollars in legal fees paid from his campaign account, according to recent filings.

Foley spent $277,367 on legal fees from February to April, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. That's on top of the $206,000 in campaign cash Foley spent on attorneys from November to January.

Foley's filing indicated that he still has about $1.4-million in campaign cash as of July 15.

The commission has ruled that such expenditures are generally lawful, but Foley must return money to donors who request refunds.

In a May letter to the commission, Foley wrote that his legal fees are being spent in responding to an investigation that was initiated by then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Following Hastert's call for a House ethics investigation, the FBI and Florida law enforcement said they, too, would begin their own reviews to determine if criminal charges should be filed.

"It is still active, but I think we're coming to a close in hopefully the weeks to come," said Kristen Perezluha of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The ethics committee eventually lambasted House Republicans and Hastert for turning a blind eye to Foley's behavior.

Foley, a Republican, resigned in September after being confronted with sexually explicit Internet communications to male pages. Soon after, he checked into an Arizona facility for what his attorneys said was for treatment of "alcoholism and other behavioral problems."

His attorneys also announced he was gay and alcoholic and alleged that he had been molested by a priest as an altar boy. They maintain Foley never had inappropriate sexual contact with minors.

Foley returned from rehab to attend a November wake for his father, Edward. Since then, Foley's whereabouts has not been confirmed, and he has rarely been seen in public.

[Last modified July 16, 2007, 23:51:38]