White House Denies Allegations It Snubbed Foley For Being Gay

WASHINGTON - The White House yesterday brushed off insinuations it stiffed Mark Foley by not inviting the gay Republican to events with President Bush in Florida two years ago.
"We don't know anything about it, and it sounds pretty silly," said Bush spokesman Tony Snow, sarcastically referring to the disgraced former congressman as "poor guy."
Foley resigned late last month over sexually suggestive Internet chats with underage male pages. But long before the scandal broke, it was an open secret on Capitol Hill that he was homosexual - which didn't sit well with the Bush morality agenda.
In addition to the Foley scandal, Team Bush was coping with another GOP problem by calling on Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) to resign over his role in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal.
Though several GOP staffers have pleaded guilty in the Abramoff debacle, Ney yesterday became the first sitting lawmaker to admit his role, pleading guilty to conspiracy and making false statements. He faces up to 10 years in prison and could be expelled from Congress if he chooses not to resign.
Foley didn't gripe to Bush directly that he felt left out. Instead, he complained to the President's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, according to e-mails obtained by the Palm Beach Post.
The newspaper reported that Foley wrote to Gov. Bush on Sept. 29, 2004, "Have I done something to offend the White House ... I am always getting the shaft ... they came to [Fort Pierce] ... weeks ago and said I was not allowed to attend ... yet [GOP state Rep. Joe Negron] ... is there ...
"Tomorrow [the President] is in Martin County and I am told I am not allowed to be there either. I can't quite figure what I have done but this is a continuing pattern of slights ... I have constantly put the President in the best possible light on everything from [Haiti] ... to hurricanes ... sorry to trouble you ... and I wouldn't if this wasn't so frequent ...," the e-mail to Jeb Bush read.
Gov. Bush responded the same day, saying in an e-mail to Foley, "I will try to help. I know it is nothing you have done. Promise. I think it relates to debate prep time. Jeb."
Snow said there was no effort to ban Foley from events. "We know for a fact that the President was in the state quite often last year - hurricanes and other things - and Congressman Foley was there. He's been at the White House a bunch of times," he said.
from The New York Daily News