Dennis Hastert is the House speaker who sets the body's legislative agenda.

Speaking to reporters in his home state of Illinois, Hastert said his staff will now have to testify under oath before the House ethics committee under the FBI.

"if there was a problem, if there was a cover-up then we should find that out through the investigation process. They'll be under oath and we'll find out. If they did cover something up then they should not continue to have their job."

Foley, who was a Florida senator, resigned on the 29th of September after the disclosure of sexually explicit electronic messages to former teenage interns known as pages. He is now under investigation by both Federal and State authorities.

Opinion polls show the scandal has hurt the Republican party just four weeks before mid-term congressional elections set for thye 7th of November. This could give opposition Democrats a good chance of taking control of the 435-member House.