Ethics Issues Confront Crop of Calif. Congressmen

6.09.07

UNDER SCRUTINY

Incumbent California GOP lawmakers facing ethics questions:

Rep. John Doolittle. The nine-term conservative from far Northern California is under investigation in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal that's already resulted in 12 convictions of congressional aides, Bush administration officials and others, including a guilty plea from one former Republican member of Congress, Bob Ney of Ohio.

Doolittle, whose ties to Abramoff include accepting his campaign money and helping his clients, relinquished his seat on the Appropriations Committee in April after FBI agents raided his home in Virginia with a search warrant for a fundraising and event-planning business run there by his wife, Julie, that had done work for Abramoff and drawn commissions from Doolittle's campaigns.

Doolittle denies wrongdoing.

Rep. Jerry Lewis. In his 15th term representing inland Southern California, Lewis was chairman of the Appropriations Committee last year when federal prosecutors in Los Angeles began investigating his ties to a lobbyist who represented a number of towns and businesses in Lewis' district. Clients of lobbyist Bill Lowery received valuable federal spending approved by Lewis' committee, and the firm and its clients have been generous donors to Lewis and his campaign committees.

Lewis remains top Republican on the Appropriations Committee and denies wrongdoing.

Rep. Gary Miller. A real estate developer serving his fifth term representing inland Southern California, Miller drew scrutiny after the Los Angeles Times published stories highlighting a tax deferral strategy he used in connection with profitable real estate sales to two Southern California towns outside his district. Officials in both towns say they've been interviewed by FBI agents, but Miller says he's done nothing wrong.

Rep. Ken Calvert. A year ago the FBI obtained copies of Calvert's annual financial disclosure forms after the Los Angeles Times reported on federal funding Calvert pushed for a planned freeway interchange 16 miles from property he sold for a large profit. Calvert denied any connection or any profit to himself and said he'd done nothing wrong; there's no public evidence that he's under active investigation. Still, conservative bloggers protested after House GOP leaders tapped Calvert to replace Doolittle on the Appropriations Committee.

California GOP lawmakers who left Congress last session under an ethics cloud:
Randy "Duke" Cunningham. The former GOP House member from the San Diego area pleaded guilty in November 2005 to taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and was sentenced to more than eight years in prison.

Richard Pombo. Pombo was chairman of the House Resources Committee when he lost re-election last November amid questions about his environmental policies and his ties to Abramoff. There was never public evidence that Pombo was under federal investigation. He lost to Democrat Jerry McNerney, a political neophyte, in a GOP-leaning Central California district.

Source: AP research

AP writer Erica Werner, "Ethics Issues Confront Calif. Politicians" and "California produces big crop of ethically challenged congressmen"

JohnsonClarke Associates - political consultants for both Doolittle & Pombo.

Novak hears confirmed rumors Rep. Lewis could retire in 2008, Calif races could be key focus

posted 5.30.07 by Robert Novak at HumanEvents.com

Novak suggests California could be a major focus in Congressional races in 2008 with one possible pickup and a series of potential retirements currently being discussed (in some cases just rumored), there could be a large freshman class coming out of the Golden State next year.

• District 4: Rep. John Doolittle (R) is being scrutinized by the Justice Department. Despite his firm protestations of innocence, there is no question that Republicans view him as a liability and do not want to lose his heavily GOP seat because of accusations of impropriety. He barely won re-election last year.


• District 11: Republicans feel confident that they can unseat freshman Rep. Jerry McNerney (D), who defeated Rep. Richard Pombo (R) last year 43 to 37 percent in a Republican district under unusual circumstances. Pombo had to campaign under an ethical cloud and amid a strongly anti-Republican mood. Former state Assemblyman Dean Andal (R), who announced his candidacy this month, has represented about half of the area in one capacity or another for some time, and would be formidable against McNerney. Another possible candidate is Assemblyman Guy Houston (R). Both are conservatives.


• District 24: Rep. Elton Gallegly (R) decided to retire last cycle for health reasons, only to change his mind at the last minute and run. California Republicans continue to wonder what his '08 plans will be. The congressman may not be sure himself.


• District 41: Both on Capitol Hill and in California, Republicans say that Rep. Jerry Lewis (R) is unlikely to seek re-election. This despite the fact that Lewis is not currently the target of an inquiry, and there have been no new developments in the ethical allegations against him. Lewis won last year with two-thirds of the vote against a token Democrat. Lewis has not tipped his hand at all, yet talk of potential Republican replacements already abounds. Conservative GOP San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus is said to be interested.

Republicans do not want to see either Lewis or Doolittle resign, because they do not want to spend money now on a special election. The money issue will also loom in the general election of 2008, but unless that election goes as badly for the GOP as last year's, Republicans can take heart in the fact that none of California's congressional districts is considered competitive. If there is anywhere you would prefer to have retirements, this is the state.

Representatives Ken Calvert (R) and Gary Miller (R) are also facing ethical questions -- respectively over earmarks and a federal tax dispute -- but they are perceived to be in better shape than Lewis or Doolittle. Still, as the 2006 election cycle demonstrated, this can always change with little notice.

Washington Post: Eight Members of Congress officially under investigation

5.30.07

House Members Under Investigation

Six House Republicans and two Democrats recently under investigation by federal authorities:
___
Republicans

• Ken Calvert of California, 8th term. The FBI agent reviewed copies of Calvert's financial disclosure reports after a newspaper reported he steered federal money for a planned freeway interchange 16 miles from property he sold for a large profit.


• John Doolittle of California, 9th term. The FBI in April searched his Oakton, Va., home, where his wife Julie, ran a bookkeeping and event-planning business. Among her clients was now-jailed GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff.


• Jerry Lewis of California, 15th term. Prosecutors are examining Lewis' dealings with lobbyists and contractors during the time he chaired the House Appropriations Committee.


• Gary Miller of California, 5th term. Federal agents have looked into land deals involving Miller.


• Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, 3rd term. Authorities are investigating whether Murphy's legislative aides performed campaign work on government time.


• Rick Renzi of Arizona, 3rd term. FBI agents raided his wife's insurance business amid reports that Renzi paid substantial back taxes to settle charges that his businesses improperly paid for his first congressional campaign.

___
Democrats

• William J. Jefferson of Louisiana, 9th term. FBI agents, pursuing a bribery probe, raided Jefferson's congressional office and his home, where they found $90,000 in a freezer.


• Alan Mollohan of West Virginia, 13th term. Mollohan stepped down from the House ethics committee after federal agents began a probe of federal funds he helped steer to nonprofit groups he founded.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/30/AR2007053001567_pf.html

GOP appropriations replacement under fire

posted at www.radaronline.com

D.C. CONFIDENTIAL

Former Hooker Sidekick To Control Federal Purse Strings

APPROPRIATE APPROPRIATOR? Calvert

It's good times for Republicans who love cheap hookers and shady land deals. Congressional Republicans are promoting ethically challenged fatcat politician Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) to the powerful committee that controls federal spending!

The highly coveted Appropriations Committee seat opened up last month when fellow Californian Rep. John Doolittle stepped down after the FBI raided his home in an attempt to learn more about his relationship with corrupt super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Calvert's involvement in several land dealsin his home state has raised the ire of a grand jury—and sane Republicans. Also raising eyebrows: a 2004 trip to Saudi Arabia Calvert took with disgraced ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham, a different convicted felon wrapped up in the Cunningham's bribery scandal, and a Saudi-American real estate developer whose father reportedly had close ties to Osama Bin Laden. Questions about Calvert's judgment first arose in 1993, though, following a run-in with police during which he tried to explain he was "just talkingwith a methadone-addled prostitute in the passenger seat of his car while covering his unzipped fly with his hands.

More sane Republicans are not so psyched about this impending new era of leadership. Conservative blog RedState has posted an "open declaration of war" on Republican leaders for their decision to elevate Calvert. For his part, Calvert's denied any wrongdoing, but RedState has concluded that House Republicans won't ditch their old business-as-usual ways without a muscular display of grassroots displeasure and is encouraging bloggers turn up the heat on the Republicans who supported Calvert's promotion: "We must scalp one member. That member's name is Ken Calvert."

Rep. Doolittle's Appropriations Committee replacement also under scrutiny of FBI

5.10.07

Calvert's appointment creates concern

By Wendy Leung
Staff Writer

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Riverside, was temporarily appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, taking the seat of Rep. John Doolittle, R-Granite Bay.

Doolittle stepped down after it was disclosed that FBI agents in April had raided his Virginia home in a probe into his connections to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Calvert is expected to serve for the remainder of the congressional session or until Republican leadership decides otherwise.

But Calvert's appointment to replace a controversial congressman snarled in the Abramoff scandal is raising eyebrows because Calvert himself is under close FBI scrutiny.

Calvert, who represents western Riverside County, has caught investigators' attention because he had been receiving campaign donations since 1999 from a lobbying firm that has close ties with Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands.

The FBI had been investigating links between Lewis, a ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, and the lobbying firm Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton & White.

Neither Lewis nor Calvert has been charged with any wrongdoing. But that Calvert's name has been linked to these probes and is temporarily replacing the closely scrutinized Doolittle has some raising objections.

"Replacing John Doolittle, who's under FBI investigation, with Ken Calvert, who's under investigation for shady land deals, certainly doesn't `succeed in restoring trust between the American people and their elected leaders,"' said Fernando Cuevas, Western regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Republicans need to get serious about ethics and accountability."

Cuevas was referring to a statement by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who told CNN, "John (Doolittle) recognizes that if we are to succeed in restoring trust between the American people and their elected leaders, this action is necessary."

In addition to the FBI probe, the Riverside County grand jury sought documents from the Jurupa Community Services District on a land deal with Calvert's real-estate firm, Calvert Properties. The district had sold a 3.3-acre parcel to Calvert and his associates for $1.2million.

Staff writer Wendy Leung can be reached by e-mail at wendy.leung@dailybulletin.com, or by phone at (909) 483-9376.