Political Notes: Pombo's ethics questioned

[NVMojo]

December 19, 2005

Following deliberations with his political consultant, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, last week moved to distance himself from embattled lobbyist Jack Abramoff, donating $7,000 in political contributions to charity.

A string of lawmakers parted with contributions from Abramoff and his associates along with Pombo. The move also follows Pombo’s decision earlier this month to donate to charity $2,000 he received from Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to bribery charges.

“It gives him an answer” to criticisms of improper influence, said Amy Walter, a House race analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “It helps to take at least one thing off of the table, at least the most obvious issue off the table — the money.”

But Walter — and Pombo’s Democratic opponents — say the attacks won’t stop any time soon.

more...

http://www.tracypress.com/2005-12-19-state-one.php

[maxsolomon]

1. pombo is my target #1

he's the earth's biggest enemy.

on edit: ok, maybe ted stevens.

[WhiteTara]

3. I agree with you and

may he fall hard and far.

[UpInArms]

2. here's an article naming names

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20051208-9999-1n8dukefund.html

excerpt:

Some lawmakers who are hanging on to Wilkes-or Wade-affiliated contributions are making the same argument.

Chris Kennedy, a spokesman for Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Ill., said that while the congressman will not accept Wilkes-affiliated money this election cycle, he won't return the $27,500 that he or his "Re-elect Freshmen of the Republican Majority" PAC took from ADCS' political action committee.

"The question of repaying such specific monies appears to be popular, but it's very difficult to do that since it has already been disbursed in earlier campaigns," Kennedy said. "While Rep. Cunningham's comments do appear to point to Mr. Wilkes as a co-conspirator, that is not a certainty at this point, and I have seen no accounts at all which call into question whether there was any wrongdoing by the general entity that is ADCS."

Rep. John Doolittle, R-Granite Bay, is among the top recipients of ADCS-linked money, having taken $41,000 for himself or his "Superior California Federal Leadership Fund" PAC in the past five years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

<snip>

Several House Republicans have gotten rid of the money – mostly through charitable donations – or said they are in the process of doing so. They include: California Reps. Richard Pombo and Mary Bono; Iowa's Jim Nussle; New Mexico's Heather Wilson; New Jersey's Michael Ferguson; Pennsylvania's Charles Dent, Jim Gerlach and Melissa Hart; Minnesota's John Kline and Mark Kennedy; Connecticut's Rob Simmons; Nevada's Jon Porter; Nebraska's Jeff Fortenberry; and Oklahoma's John Sullivan.

...more at link...

[xchrom]

4. pombo's a scumbag.

hope to see his ass walk out of washington in disgrace.

[gratuitous]

5. Pombo has ethics?

That's the question I'd be posing.