By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Congressman Tom Reynolds says he was "disgusted" by the sexually lurid instant messages sent by a former congressman to a House page. Reynolds held a news conference Monday night at Daemen College to respond to charges that he didn't do enough when an inappropriate e-mail first surfaced last Spring.
Congressman Reynolds was surrounded by his supporters, including their children. Representatives of CNN, the Washington Post and the Philadephia Inquirer joined local media in questioning Reynolds on allegations that former Florida congressman Mark Foley sent inappropriate Internet messages to male pages.
The Clarence Republican said he pushed for Foley's resignation last Friday when allegedly sexually-explicit Instant Messages from Foley surfaced.
Reynolds defended his earlier action of simply notifying House Speaker Dennis Hastert last Spring of an e-mail Foley allegedly sent to a page asking for a photo.
Reynolds faces a stiff re-election challenge from Democrat Jack Davis. A poll out last week indicates the race is a dead heat. Davis campaign spokesman Curt Ellis says this latest controversy is likely to help his candidate even more.
Congressman Reynolds said now that he's addressed the Foley controversy, he's looking forward to returning to the campaign trail.
Reynolds said the $100,000 Foley contributed to the House Republican campaign committee last summer did not influence him one way or the other. He said all members are asked to contribute to a campaign fund that he expects will top $70 million, and that he has no plans to return the funds.
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