According to The New Republic, a friend of former Congressman Mark Foley’s reports that by early 2006, Foley had planned to retire from Congress and set himself up as a lobbyist. The problem, according to this source, was that Karl Rove wanted otherwise. Rove allegedly made it clear to Foley that if he did not run for re-election, his future as a lobbyist was uncertain.
“The White House made it very clear I have to run,” Foley is said to have remarked to his friend. The New Republic source explains that Foley was told that serving another two years in the House would “enhance his success” as a lobbyist.
Whether Rove and his minions knew about Foley’s problem with pages is unknown, of course, but given both Rove’s tendency to know everything and Foley’s lack of discretion, it seems very unlikely that they wouldn’t.