A former House page says he had sex with then-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., after receiving explicit e-mails in which the congressman described assessing the sexual orientation and physical attributes of underage pages but waiting until later to make direct advances.

The former page, who agreed to discuss his relationship with Foley on the condition that he not be identified, said his electronic correspondence with Foley began after he finished the respected Capitol Hill program for high school juniors. His sexual encounter in the fall of 2000 also came after he left the page program. At the time, he was 21 and a graduate of a rural Northeastern college.

“I always knew you were a player but I don’t fool around with pages,” declared one instant message from Maf54, a screen name Foley used.

The former page’s account is consistent with Foley’s assertion that he did not have sexual relations with minors, a question that will be key to determining whether he committed crimes.

Yet the former page’s exchanges with Foley offer a disturbing glimpse of possible predatory behavior by the congressman as he assessed male teenagers assigned as House errand-runners. In the messages, Maf54 described how years earlier, he had looked to see whether the former page had an erection beneath his tight white pants while the then-teenager was working near the congressman. Maf54 also speculated about the sexual attributes of other males who were in the same page class, including making the observation that one young man was “well hung.”

Foley is now in seclusion in an alcohol treatment facility, and his lawyer has declined to answer questions about specific pages.