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October 2, 2006 -- EARLY EDITION. SPECIAL REPORT. Informed congressional sources have reported to WMR that the number of sexually salacious e-mails and instant messages sent from disgraced former GOP Representative Mark Foley of Florida to underage male pages number as many as 500. Moreover, WMR sources on the Hill report that the GOP leadership knew of Foley's improper communications with the pages "for years" and not months as has been reported by the mainstream media. In addition, Foley allegedly sent sexually-explicit messages to both former and current congressional pages.

It is also uncertain what evidence may have been tampered with before the recent calls by the House GOP leadership for a federal law enforcement investigation. Since Foley's abrupt resignation, his House office, computer, and files have been under the control of the House Clerk's Office, a GOP political patronage position. Only late Sunday, did the US Capitol Police moved in to secure Foley's office from the House Clerk. In fact, the House Clerk is also a member of the House Page Board, which was supposedly aware of Foley's page issue for at least the past 11 months. The involvement of the Capitol Police is also problematic since the House Sergeant-at-Arms, a majority party political patronage position responsible (along with the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and Capitol Architect) for the Capitol Police as a member of the Capitol Police Board, is also a member of the House Page Board. The House Page Board consists of two Members from the Majority party selected by the Speaker, one Member from the Minority party selected by the Minority Leader, the Clerk of the House and the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House. The sole Democratic member of the Page Board, Rep. Dale Kildee of Michigan, said the first he heard about the Foley matter was last week when the news hit the media. However, the GOP House leadership is insisting that the matter was brought before the House Page Board and resolved to their satisfaction. The House GOP leadership that now stands accused of covering up the scandal includes the GOP members of the House Page Board, Representatives John Shimkus of Illinois and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia; House Speaker Dennis Hastert; Majority Leader John Boehner; Majority Whip Roy Blunt; and Republican Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Tom Reynolds, who reportedly received $100,000 from Foley campaign coffers after he was first informed of the allegations against the Florida Republican.

WMR has also learned that Foley was responsible for earmarking tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for special projects having little or nothing to with missing and exploited children to political allies under the cover of providing assistance for abused or kidnapped youngsters and teens. In addition, Foley was privy to confidential U.S. government law enforcement information on the international trafficking and exploitation of children -- information that may have been misused by Foley and other influential Republican political leaders involved in the brewing scandal.

The consensus of Washington insiders is that the Foley scandal is merely the "tip of the iceberg" and when all the facts become known there will be a political tsunami that could wash away as many as 60 to 70 incumbent Republicans in the House. There is also evidence that the scandal may soon spill over into the ranks of the Republicans in the Senate (particularly the Senate office of embattled Virginia Senator George Allen) [note: the Senate Page program is overseen by the political patronage Senate Sergeant-at-Arms office, not a member oversight board such as that which exists in the House], the White House, and the Republican National Committee.