A former
congressional page said Thursday he received sexually
suggestive messages from then-representative Mark
Foley in 1997. Tyson Vivyan's account is the earliest
publicly reported claim so far of suggestive messages
between Foley and teens who served in the Capitol page
program. Previous accounts placed the earliest
contacts in 2003.
Vivyan, 26, told
the Associated Press that Foley began sending him
instant messages about a month or two after his nine-month
stint as a page ended in June 1997. Vivyan, who gave
interviews this week to other media, said he never met
Foley personally during his time as a page, other than
brief greetings while working in the cloakroom beside the
House chamber where members take breaks.
A few months
later, he said, he started getting instant messages via
computer from a person with the screen name MAF54, which has
been linked in news reports to Foley. He said he
wasn't sure who it was but that the person knew
Vivyan's name and physical description. He said the person
asked personal questions and inquired about his sexual
orientation.
Vivyan said he
figured the person had to be on Capitol Hill, and he began
looking up initials in a congressional guide. He said that
when he found Foley's initials--MAF, born in
1954--he realized who it was. ''It was almost
surreal. Not only was I conversing with a congressman in a
personal manner, I was conversing in a sexual manner,''
Vivyan said.
After he guessed
it was Foley, the person continued to contact him.
Vivyan said he tried to turn the talk to politics. Foley
would often stop talking and then contact him
again a week later with suggestive messages.
Vivyan also said he was invited to Foley's brownstone in
Washington. Vivyan said he didn't want to go alone, so he
brought a fellow page with him. He said they had pizza
and soft drinks, and nothing sexual happened.
David Roth,
attorney for the Florida Republican former congressman,
declined to comment on the allegations. Foley, 52, resigned
last Friday. He has since entered an alcohol
rehabilitation facility at an undisclosed location.
Through his lawyer, he has said he is gay but denied
any sexual contact with minors. (AP)
