News and articles relating to the scandal surrounding Washington D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff

Saturday, January 14, 2006

CNN.com - Investigators looking into California�lawmaker's ties to Abramoff - Jan 13, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- California Republican Rep. John Doolittle secured a coveted spot in the House GOP leadership partly on the strength of his ties to Tom DeLay, and he called lobbyist Jack Abramoff a good friend.

Those once-useful connections are coming back to haunt Doolittle, now that Abramoff has pleaded guilty in a congressional lobbying scandal and DeLay has given up his majority leader post after being charged in a money laundering investigation in Texas.

Along with DeLay, Doolittle has caught the attention of federal investigators for his dealings with Abramoff. He accepted campaign money from Abramoff and used the lobbyist's luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially reporting it; Doolittle's wife and one of his former aides also worked for Abramoff.

Doolittle denies wrongdoing. His spokeswoman said he has not been contacted by the Justice Department or the FBI. But at least one of his GOP colleagues said Doolittle has some explaining to do.

"I think he needs to define clearly what his issues are, if they exist, and otherwise I think it will become difficult for him to continue" in his leadership post, Rep. Charlie Bass, R-New Hampshire, said this week.

A number of rank-and-file House Republicans are calling for new elections for the entire GOP leadership -- with the exception of the House speaker -- in February, which would force Doolittle to campaign for his leadership job amid widespread concern over the Abramoff scandal.

"It's important that with this election we move forward in the most positive way we can, and that would include looking at any baggage that any member may have," said Rep. Mary Bono, R-California.

Doolittle serves as Republican Conference secretary, a post that gives him a seat at the table when the speaker, majority leader and others meet. Doolittle's spokeswoman dismissed concerns about his ability to keep the job.

"Mr. Doolittle is not concerned about the media's irresponsible speculation affecting his leadership position," said spokeswoman Laura Blackann. Any suggestion that Doolittle may be improperly involved in Abramoff's criminal activity "is based on irresponsible speculation by the media and is completely without merit," she said.

Doolittle is unlikely to lose re-election in his rural Northern California district, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats 48 percent to 30 percent. He won re-election in 2004 with 65 percent of the vote.

He is among the most conservative members of California's GOP House delegation. He's been a staunch DeLay ally, distributing lapel pins in the shape of tiny hammers to colleagues last year after DeLay was indicted on campaign finance charges in Texas. DeLay's nickname is "The Hammer."

His connections to Abramoff include:


Doolittle's wife, Julie, ran a fundraising company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc., that did fundraising work for Abramoff. Sierra Dominion's records were subpoenaed in 2004 by the grand jury looking into the Abramoff case.


Kevin Ring, a Doolittle aide from 1994 to 1997, later worked as a lobbyist under Abramoff. Ring refused to answer questions before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigating the scandal last summer, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.


Doolittle was among more than two dozen lawmakers who signed a February 2002 letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton urging her to reject an Indian casino opposed by Abramoff's tribal clients. Doolittle received $1,000 from Abramoff several weeks before he signed the group letter, then got $16,000 from two of Abramoff's casino-operating tribal clients about two months later. By year's end, Doolittle also had used Abramoff's Washington restaurant to cater a campaign event and received an additional $15,000 from tribes.


Doolittle used Abramoff's luxury sports box at a Washington sports arena for a fundraiser, failing to report the value of the box, as required, until The Washington Post ran a story on it.


Doolittle accepted a total of $4,000 from Abramoff, and another $46,000 from Abramoff's tribal clients, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Unlike many other lawmakers who have rushed to shed Abramoff's money, Doolittle has no plans to get rid of the cash, saying he refuses to give the appearance he's done something wrong by returning money that was legally and ethically received.

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