California representative uniquely tied to two scandals

John Doolittle has a few questionable associates, including Jack Abramoff 

AP photo  -  Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., speaks to constituents during a town hall meeting in Rocklin , Calif. , on Thursday.

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. John Doolittle’s associations with some notorious scoundrels have him uniquely tied to both congressional bribery scandals that have sent other Republican lawmakers to jail. 

   Justice Department investigators are focusing on the California Republican’s dealings with jailed lobby ist Jack Abramoff, including $5,000 monthly checks from Abramoff to Doolittle’s wife. 

   Then there’s $37 million in federal funds Doolittle secured for a defense contractor accused of bribing now imprisoned ex-Rep. Randy ‘‘Duke’’ Cunningham. Brent Wilkes, a benefactor of both Cunningham and Doolittle, is awaiting trial in San Diego on charges of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. 

   T here’s no indication prosecutors are investigating Doolittle in connection with Wilkes or Cunningham, and the nine-term lawmaker may be guilty of nothing more than a poor choice of friends. But his favors for and from Abramoff leave him the only sitting member of Congress still under investigation in a scandal that netted a dozen convictions, including a guilty plea from now imprisoned former Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio. 

   Home raided 

   In April the FBI raided the Doolittles’ Oakton , Va. , house with a search warrant for Julie Doolittle’s home bookkeeping and fundraising business, which had done work for Abramoff. The congressman denied wrongdoing and blamed his woes on Justice Department leaks and politics. But he was forced to relinquish his seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, where Cunningham was once one of his colleagues and where both did favors for Wilkes. 

   After The Associated Press reported last week that his former chief of staff had complied with a document subpoena and another former aide planned to talk voluntarily to prosecutors, Doolittle said he welcomed a widening of the probe. 

   ‘‘To have this dragged out for over three years is ridiculous. They’ve had three years to get to the bottom of this. At least they’ve started,’’ he said. 

   ‘‘I’ve always believed that the truth vindicates us,’’ Doolittle said. ‘‘I am glad they are going to delve more into it.’’ 

   Abramoff cooperating 

   Abramoff is cooperating with the government’s continuing investigation after admitting to taking millions of dollars from Indian tribe clients he derided as ‘‘morons’’ and ‘‘troglodytes.’’ 

   This was the man who charmed Doolittle as ‘‘funny, engaging, creative ... a hard-charging conservative Republican’’ when the two met after Republicans retook the House majority in 1994. 

   Doolittle himself had arrived on Capitol Hill as a brash young conservative several years before, joining the ‘‘Gang of Seven’’ freshman Republicans who broke open a House banking scandal. He ran for a second term in 1992 on the slogan ‘‘Taking on Congress,’’ and complained that ‘‘the system ... has lulled people into unethical conduct.’’ 

   Although potential GOP primary challengers are surfacing, local Republicans say Doolittle retains strong GOP backing in his district, which stretches from Sacramento to the Oregon border. 

   ‘‘I absolutely believe he has a strong base of support, and among Republican activists it’s overwhelming,’’ said Tom Hudson, chairman of the Placer County Republican Party. ‘‘I haven’t heard anybody who thinks he’s a crook.’’  

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