Congressman resigns key post after FBI searches home

[lily]

Link (http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/19/doolittle.abramoff.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories)

Congressman resigns key post after FBI searches home
POSTED: 6:40 p.m. EDT, April 19, 2007



WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. John Doolittle, whose house was searched by the FBI
in an influence-peddling investigation, said Thursday he will step down
temporarily from the House Appropriations Committee.

The announcement by the nine-term California Republican came one day after
the disclosure that agents had raided his home in Oakton, Virginia. In the
search last Friday, the FBI had a warrant for information connected with a
fundraising business run by Doolittle's wife, Julie, that had done work for
convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

"I understand how the most recent circumstances may lead some to question my
tenure on the Appropriations Committee," Doolittle wrote House Minority
Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

"Therefore, I feel it may be in the best interest of the House that I take a
temporary leave with seniority from this committee until this matter can be
resolved."

[Drocket]

More bad news for Republicans: Rick Renzi (http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/0419renzi0419-ON-CP.html) has taken a 'leave of absence' from the House Intelligence Committee after his dad's business offices were searched. This, by the way, ties into the US Attorney firing scandal, as one of the fired attorneys was in the midst of investigating this when he was fired. My, what a coincidence. Of course, at the moment, it's not really possible to PROVE that he was fired for this, as almost all of the emails related to the matter were done through non-White House servers (which, by the way, is illegal) and were then "accidentally" deleted. Oops.