Doolittle - The Last Corrupt Republican Left Standing?

Rep. John Doolittle, the conservative California congressman who has been the focus of a widening corruption probe, has received just lukewarm support from fellow Republicans as he prepares to run for re-election.

“The only thing we know for certain is Doolittle is in trouble. The party leadership does not want to spend a huge sum of money to hold onto this seat,” Allan Hoffenblum, a GOP strategist and publisher of the nonpartisan Target Book that tracks political races, told the Associated Press He added,

“It's almost Doolittle versus the world.”Doolittle, who represents a swath of Northern California, is believed to be the only sitting member of Congress to be under active investigation for his strong ties to former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, now in prison on an array of fraud and conspiracy charges related to his work on behalf of his Native American tribe clients.Abramoff, who was a Doolittle campaign contributor, allowed Doolittle the use of a luxury sports box that he paid for, which the congressman did not initially report. More than that, federal investigators have been puzzled by monthly payments of nearly $5,000 that Abramoff's firm made to Doolittle's wife by way of her company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc.Adding to Doolittle's political troubles, two of his congressional aides have been called to testify before a federal grand jury probing their boss. Doolittle, serving in his ninth term, has denied any wrongdoing. He has repeated he has no plans to relinquish the House seat he has held since 1991.“There is just too much dirt around Doolittle to think that he is going to survive,” said Bob Mulholland, a senior campaign adviser for the California Democratic Party, in an earlier interview.“Doolittle, of all the Republican incumbents, is in the worst shape,” Mulholland said from his Sacramento office.

In April, Doolittle's Okton, Va. home was searched by the FBI. A day after the search was revealed by the press, Doolittle relinquished his seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending requests.