Doolittle Steps Down After FBI Raid

Yields Appropriations seat under Abramoff probe pressure
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2007 5:54 AM CDT
Doolittle Steps Down After FBI Raid
Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., walks to the chambers of the House of Representatives Thursday, April 19, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington on the way to a vote. Doolittle, whose house was searched by the FBI in an influence-peddling investigation, said Thursday he will step down temporarily from...   (Associated Press)

Republican John Doolittle has ceded his coveted seat on the House Appropriations Committee—a week after FBI agents made a surprise raid on his Virginia home. Doolittle and his wife, Julie, a consultant, are under investigation for their ties to besmirched fundraiser Jack Abramoff.

“It may be in the best interest of the House that I take a temporary leave from this Committee until this matter can be resolved,” Doolittle said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner. They accepted. Doolittle was narrowly reelected in November, after refusing to return thousands of dollars in contributions from Abramoff on behalf of Indian tribes. (More John Doolittle stories.)

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