AP: Calif. Congressman Won't Seek Re-Election
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050714/ap_on_go_co/congressman_s_house/nc:1278;_ylt=AlD8hZ3oKZQlvJLeq7mbSAY8KbIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
WASHINGTON - Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., under investigation for his dealings with a defense contractor, will not seek re-election, Republican officials said Thursday.
These officials said the eight-term lawmaker planned a formal announcement later in the day in his home state. They spoke on condition of anonymity, citing Cunningham's desire to make his own public statement.
Cunningham, a Vietnam War veteran and eight-term lawmaker, has been shadowed by questions concerning his relationship with Mitchell Wade, the founder of MZM Inc., a defense firm.
Wade purchased Cunningham's 3,826-square-foot house north of San Diego in 2003, then put it back on the market and eventually took a $700,000 loss when he resold it a year later. During that span, home prices in San Diego County rose an average of nearly 25 percent.
At the same time, MZM Inc. was increasing its federal contracting business.
Cunningham is a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both of which oversee the kind of classified intelligence work MZM does for the military.
The congressman also faces questions about the arrangement under which he has lived on a yacht belonging to Wade and moored in Washington.
The congressman has said that instead of rent, he has paid at least $13,000 to cover dock fees and other expenses at the club since April 2004. Living on Wade's boat for free would violate congressional ethics rules.
Cunningham has denied any wrongdoing.
A 42-foot yacht named Duke Stir is shown docked at the Capitol Yacht Club, Saturday, July 2, 2005 in Washington.
Federal authorities intensified their investigation into Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham's dealings with a defense contractor by simultaneously serving search warrants on both coasts - one for his California home and another for a Duke Stir, a yacht where he has stayed while in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Haraz Ghanbari)