Doolittle Inc.
DEBRA J. SAUNDERS
Nov 11, 2007 -
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071111/OPINION/71110060/1049This year, Rep. John Doolittle made Roll Call's "10 Most Vulnerable House Incumbents" list.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington placed Doolittle on its "22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress" roster. The Placer County, Calif., Republican also is in the small club of elected officials under federal investigation for corruption. His name has come up in connection with convicted uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and with convicted (as of Monday, on bribery charges) defense contractor Brent Wilkes. In April, the FBI searched Doolittle's Virginia home.
Doolittle was forced to resign from the House Appropriations Committee. Nonetheless, Doolittle is running for re-election.
In September, Doolittle told the Sacramento Bee, "I understand the phrase that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I am not going to have any of these weasels who, for self-promotional efforts, are cooking up these half-baked polls and trying to influence me. What I find amazing is that they want me to give up so they can get what they want."
Getting what he wants -- that Doolittle knows. Doolittle, you may recall, made news for letting a campaign fund pick up the tab for babysitting his daughter -- $4,581 since 2001, The Washington Post reported in 2006. He brought new meaning to the phrase "family values."
Doolittle's annual salary has been more than $150,000 since 2002. Not enough. So he and his wife gave themselves a raise. Wife Julie set up a political fund-raising firm that allowed her to earn 15 percent off of every dime raised for Doolittle's Superior California Fund. She also received a cut for donations she raised for his re-election campaign -- to the tune of $140,000 over three years.
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