Oct. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Former Representative Mark Foley, who resigned after his sexual messages to underage boys became public last week, was sexually abused as a teenager by a clergyman, his lawyer said.

Foley, a Florida Republican, has checked into a substance abuse clinic, blaming his lapse of judgment on alcohol, said his lawyer, David Roth. He resigned Sept. 29 from Congress after ABC questioned him about his internet communications with teenage congressional pages.

``As is so often the case with victims of abuse, Mark kept his shame to himself for nearly 40 years,'' Roth told reporters in Florida. When Foley was ``13 to 15 he was molested by a clergyman.''

The House Republican leadership has started a review of Foley's contacts with pages and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the issue.

Foley was ``under the influence of alcohol when he sent the alleged'' messages, Roth said. Foley ``absolutely, categorically'' denies having sexual relations with any of the boys, Roth said.

``Mark Foley wants you to know that he is a gay man,'' Roth told reporters.

Hastert

House Speaker Dennis Hastert said during the weekend that he and at least two other Republican members knew months ago about ``overly friendly'' but not overtly sexual e-mails that Foley had sent to a former House male page. After learning about them last year, Republican Representatives Rodney Alexander and John Shimkus asked Foley not to contact the page again. Shimkus oversaw the page program and the page was from Alexander's district.

Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said yesterday the Republican leaders of the House didn't know about a separate set of sexually explicit messages Foley allegedly sent earlier to other pages or former pages that became public last week and prompted his resignation.

ABC News today reported that it has obtained 52 separate instant message exchanges which pages say were sent by Foley to two teenage former male pages. In one, Foley allegedly has internet sex during a House vote. According to another message, an underage boy is invited to drink alcohol at Foley's house.

``We may need to drink at my house so we don't get busted,'' said a message posted by ABC on its Web site.

Roth said that while he had not seen the latest instant message exchange, ``Mark Foley has never had teenage boys over to his house for alcohol.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Jay Newton-Small in Washington at jnewtonsmall@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 3, 2006 19:05 EDT