BATAVIA, Ill., Oct. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert Thursday said he was unaware of Rep. Mark Foley's sexually oriented e-mails to pages until last week.
At a news conference at his Batavia, Ill., office, Hastert apologized for the developing scandal and accepted responsibility.
"The buck stops here," Hastert declared, denying any wrongdoing.
Hastert said he first learned of the problem Friday, the day Foley, R-Fla., resigned from office.
Hastert said he has no intention of dropping out of his congressional race or relinquishing the speaker's job.
Earlier in the day, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich lent his support to Hastert just before attending a Chicago fundraiser. Gingrich, who was forced from office in his own ethics scandal, accused Democrats of timing the Foley disclosures to coincide with the November election, saying someone held onto the information until now so that it would do the most damage, WBBM-AM, Chicago, reported.
Foley quit his office after ABC revealed he had e-mailed and instant messaged underage male pages, in some cases making sexually explicit remarks.
