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Washington – A Republican congressman knew of disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley’s inappropriate Internet exchanges as far back as 2000 and personally confronted Foley about his communications.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., confirmed Sunday that a former page showed the congressman Internet messages that had made the youth feel uncomfortable with the direction Foley, R-Fla., was taking their e-mail relationship. Last week, when the Foley matter erupted, a Kolbe staff member suggested to the former page that he take the matter to the clerk of the House, said Kolbe’s press secretary, Korenna Cline.

The revelation pushes back by at least five years the date when a member of Congress has acknowledged learning of Foley’s behavior with former pages. A timeline issued by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., suggested that the first lawmakers to know – Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., the chairman of the House Page Board, and Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La. – became aware of “over-friendly” e-mails only last fall. It also expands the universe of players in the drama beyond members either in leadership or on the page board.

A source with direct knowledge of Kolbe’s involvement said the messages shared with Kolbe were sexually explicit, and he read the contents to The Washington Post under the condition that they not be reprinted. But Cline denied the source’s characterization, saying only that the messages had made the former page feel uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, she said, “corrective action” was taken. Cline said she has not yet determined whether that action went beyond Kolbe’s confrontation with Foley.

In interviews with The Post last week, multiple pages identified Kolbe as a close friend and personal confidant who was one of the only members of Congress to take any interest in them. A former page himself, Kolbe offered to mentor pages and kept in touch with some of them after they left the program, according to the interviews.

Kolbe, the only openly gay Republican in Congress, is retiring at the end of the year.

The latest revelation in the growing House page scandal comes a month before crucial midterm elections. Foley resigned Sept. 29 after ABC News confronted him with the sexually explicit messages that he exchanged with a former page, triggering investigations by the Justice Department, the House ethics committee and Florida authorities.

Hastert and his top aides have been sharply criticized by Democrats and some conservative Republicans for failing to act promptly after receiving warnings about Foley. Ron Bonjean, the speaker’s spokesman, said Sunday: “Allegations of inappropriate conduct by members of Congress towards pages need to be fully reviewed by the ethics committee and law enforcement.”

In addressing the revelation about Kolbe, Bonjean said, “This allegation reiterates why the speaker has also called for a full review of the House page program to ensure that it is as safe and secure as possible.”

A new poll by Newsweek indicates the Foley scandal is doing significant damage to the Republicans. The poll found 52 percent of Americans, including 29 percent of Republicans, believe Hastert was aware of Foley’s communications with underage pages and tried to cover up Foley’s actions. More of those polled, 42 percent, say they trust Democrats to do a better job handling moral values than Republicans; 36 percent favored Republicans on the values question.