With Republican control of Congress at stake in an election just over a month from now, ABC television released details of a possible intimate relationship between former representative Mark Foley and a young male congressional page.
Until now, most of the exchanges made public showed Foley propositioning pages who did not appear to return his advances.
In another twist, an attorney for Foley, who resigned Friday and checked into an alcoholism clinic, said that his client had been sexually abused by a priest as a teen.
Other Republican lawmakers faced charges that they had known of Foley's conduct for months and did not take appropriate action.
Dennis Hastert, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, rebuffed calls from some in his own party to resign his leadership post.
President George W. Bush said that he was "disgusted" by Foley's behavior but did not back calls for Hastert's resignation as House speaker.
The Washington Post Wednesday called for the House to appoint an outside investigator to examine "the conduct of its leaders and officials" while The New York Times advised voters to go to the polling booths fully informed about the events and their handling.
And a man who worked as a Congressional page in 1995 said that he had been warned by another page to steer clear of an overly friendly Foley, suggesting that the lawmaker's conduct has long drawn notice on Capitol Hill.
"Many people on Capitol Hill have known for over 11 years about what was going on and chose to do nothing," The Washington Post quoted former page Mark Beck-Heyman as saying.
"I was dismayed and shocked to learn about Congressman Foley's unacceptable behavior," Bush said during a visit Tuesday to Stockton, California.
"I was disgusted by the revelations and disappointed that he would violate the trust of the citizens that placed him in office," Bush said.
Bush supported Hastert's call for a law enforcement probe into e-mails and text messages sent by Foley and said: "I am confident he [Hastert] will provide whatever leadership he can to law enforcement in this investigation."
Foley, who represents Palm Beach county in Florida, abruptly resigned Friday following the publication of sexually explicit e-mails to a 16-year-old former male page.
The scandal widened as ABC television revealed salacious new details of additional e-mails that suggested a possible relationship with an underage congressional aide.
In the intimate e-mail exchanges published by ABC, Foley and the young congressional page traded Internet kisses and made plans for a future encounter.
In an April 2003 message made public Tuesday, Foley invited a teen to come to his home to drink alcohol. The teenager enthusiastically accepted the offer.
ABC said that Foley even exchanged sexual messages with a teenager during a vote in Congress.
Meanwhile Foley's attorney David Roth disclosed Tuesday that his client had been sexually abused by a clergyman as a teenager. "Between the ages of 13 and 15 he was molested," Roth told a Palm Beach, Florida press conference.
Roth also insisted that the relationships with pages were never physically intimate. "Mark Foley has never had sexual contact with a minor," Roth said.
Revelations over the Republican lawmaker's activities could persuade many conservatives to boycott the November 7 midterm elections, according to political analysts.
Conservative voters, who often turn out to vote in force on "values issues" such as abortion and gay marriage, are reportedly angered by the revelations.
Democrats are now favored to win back a majority in the House, according to many opinion polls.
Foley was known in Congress as a tireless champion of children's rights, especially against abuse and sexual predators, and recently introduced legislation to crack down on Internet child pornography sites.
Democratic leaders were quick to jump on the scandal as a symbol of moral shortcomings and hypocrisy by Republicans.
© 2006 Agence France-Presse