BUFFALO, N.Y., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., apologized to his constituents for not noting lies from former Rep. Mark Foley about explicit Internet exchanges with House pages.
Reynolds, who heads the Republican House campaign committee, gave his apology in a televised ad aired in his district around Buffalo, N.Y., CNN said Sunday.
Foley, a Florida Republican, resigned from the House of Representatives Sept. 29 over sexually explicit electronic correspondence he sent to male congressional pages.
In the ad, Reynolds repeated his assertion that he told House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., about Foley's behavior in the spring, CNN said. Hastert said he doesn't recall the conversation.
Reynolds said he was told about "odd but not explicit e-mails" between Foley and male congressional pages and told Hastert, CNN said. When he learned that Foley denied knowledge, Reynolds said no one was angrier or more "disappointed than me that I didn't catch his lies."
The scandal seems to be affecting Reynolds' re-election bid, CNN said. Polls conducted since Foley's resignation show Democratic challenger Jack Davis holding a narrow lead over Reynolds.
