Hastert asks for inquiry of Foley

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House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert yesterday requested a criminal investigation of former Rep. Mark Foley, Florida Republican, who resigned Friday amid accusations that he attempted to seduce a teenage congressional page.

An FBI spokesman last night confirmed the bureau was "conducting an assessment" of the Foley case.

"I hereby request that the Department of Justice conduct an investigation of Mr. Foley's conduct with current and former House pages to determine to what extent any of his actions violated federal law," Mr. Hastert wrote in the letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, sent after similar calls yesterday from the nation's two leading Democrats and the White House.

Mr. Hastert also requested an investigation into whether anyone had "specific knowledge" of the sexually explicit communications between Mr. Foley and any current or former House pages.

"I request that the scope of your investigation include any and all individuals who may have been aware of this matter -- be they members of Congress, employees of the House of Representatives, or anyone outside the Congress," Mr. Hastert wrote.

Mr. Hastert also wrote to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to ask for a state investigation "to determine to what extent any of [Mr. Foley's] actions violated Florida law."

Meanwhile, yesterday, Republican leaders said they expect state Rep. Joe Negron of Stuart, Fla., to be named to replace Mr. Foley as the Republican candidate in the House race for the 16th Congressional District when the state party's 37-member executive board meets today in Orlando.

Mr. Foley, Florida Republican, was chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children before resigning Friday after he was accused of sending inappropriate e-mails and sexually explicit instant messages over the Internet to teenage boys working as congressional pages.

Democrats have harshly criticized Republican leadership in the wake of last week's revelations.

"The children, their parents, the public, and our colleagues must be assured that such abhorrent behavior is not tolerated and will never happen again," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, wrote yesterday to leaders of the House ethics committee, reiterating that the panel must start work "within 10 days."