Posted on 01/23/2006 6:48:03 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AP) - In his first extensive public comments about being implicated in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, California Republican Rep. John Doolittle said he has done nothing wrong and challenged the Justice Department to investigate him.
Doolittle also criticized ethics reforms being proposed by fellow Republican leaders in the House, saying they are being done for the sake of appearances.
"I think the system's working," said Doolittle, whose comments came in a prerecorded interview broadcast Monday on Sacramento talk radio station KFBK-AM. "This kind of a scandal is a big scandal because it doesn't happen very often. It's quite extraordinary."
Doolittle disputed reports, including by The Associated Press, that he is among the handful of lawmakers whose ties to Abramoff are being examined by federal investigators. He said he has never been contacted by them.
"If there's any truth to that, then come investigate me, come contact me because I know what the truth is and I'll come out with a clean record," Doolittle said.
Doolittle accepted campaign money from Abramoff and used the lobbyist's luxury sports box in the MCI Center, home of the NBA's Washington Wizards, for a fundraiser without initially reporting it. Doolittle's wife and one of his former aides also worked for the lobbyist.
His office released a copy of a letter he sent to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last week offering his cooperation to put the speculation to rest.
"I just think it's important that the public, which is very concerned in general about this huge scandal - they're entitled to know the truth," Doolittle said on the radio program. "And I think those of us who are not guilty ought to be entitled to have our names cleared."
Doolittle, 55, is a conservative in his eighth term representing a rural district north and east of Sacramento. He's a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee and of the House leadership, serving as Republican Conference secretary, a post that gives him a seat at the table when the speaker, majority leader and others meet.
Abramoff, who has admitted to conspiring to defraud his Indian tribe clients, has pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges and is cooperating with prosecutors. Doolittle said he knew Abramoff as a friend.
"I liked him, frankly, because he was a partisan, conservative Republican activist, and that's a little bit unusual for lobbyists. I didn't know about any of these other things," he said.
Unlike other lawmakers who have rushed to shed money from Abramoff and his tribal clients, Doolittle refuses to do so, saying he sees no reason to give away money that was lawfully received.
"I just felt as a matter of principle that I wasn't going to be like the rest of my fellow politicians and like a flock of birds that's scared to take flight and leave everything behind," he said.
Doolittle has received at least $14,000 from Abramoff and $41,000 from his tribal clients, according to campaign records and an updated report by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Abramoff's guilty pleas set off a flurry of proposals by both Republicans and Democrats to tighten rules for interactions with lobbyists. House Republicans, led by Speaker Dennis Hastert, last week rolled out a package of reforms that included banning of privately sponsored travel and a virtual ban on gifts.
"Our leaders think that we have to show that we're doing something. This is about appearance," Doolittle said. "Those ethics reforms that are being proposed, in my opinion, have almost no bearing on whatever happened with the Abramoff matter, and I'm not sure they're terribly wise things to do."
He said such guidelines often don't make sense - such as existing rules that prohibit costly meals or gifts but allow outside groups to fund expensive travel.
Thanks!
You're welcome. There will undoubtedly be some fallout from Abramoff, but I think most of it is all hype and hope from the Left.
Sure. And quid pro quo is such a rare thing as well.
These politicians obviously think we are dumber than milk cows. Well, they certainly count on us being as compliant.
The Bee, yet another mouthpiece for the dems. They are after any top ranking Republican. Doolittle is one of the good guys as far as I'm concerned.
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