Doolittle draws increased scrutiny

Unflappable while facing election challenges from underdog Democrats and moderate, lightly supported Republican hopefuls in his home district, veteran U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, is now coming under fire in the larger national political arena.Tied to the headline-grabbing Abramoff scandal, linked by his close association to embattled former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and with funding for the political action committee he administers coming from co-conspirators in the "Duke" Cunningham political corruption case, Doolittle has become embroiled with dozens of other lawmakers in a series of developments that threaten to bring down the Republican House majority his party has held since the mid-1990s.Thousands of miles away from the growing political storm clouds in Washington, D.C., Auburn-area residents are beginning to hear more about Doolittle's connections to a series of developments linking lobbyists and politicians. Doolittle has served as the District 4 congressman since 1991, rising to positions on the influential Appropriations Committee and as Republican conference secretary. The brewing stormDoolittle is linked to scandals swirling around three top Republican figures:Randy Duke Cunningham: Resigned from House seat after admitting guilt in allegations of $2.4 million in bribery. Brent Wilkes, identified in court documents as a co-conspirator in that case, also gave Doolittle $46,000.Tom DeLay: Former House majority leader was indicted by a Texas prosecutor on charges including the laundering of corporate contributions through a PAC to other candidates. Doolittle has contributed to DeLays legal fund and staunchly defends him.Jack Abramoff: Lobbyist is being investigated by a grand jury regarding gifts to congressmen, allegedly as repayment for political favors. Doolittles wife and former chief of staff have both worked for Abramoff, and Doolittle has taken donations from him.For Doolittle's home district, which is based around growing South Placer, his influence as a powerful Republican lawmaker has reaped funding for local projects, including tens of millions of dollars for transportation improvements, a sorely needed wastewater treatment system, and Auburn projects like the park preserve and performing arts center. Doolittle's connections to main players in brewing scandals haven't necessarily been on the radar screen of people in Auburn, with reports coming out of Washington focusing on DeLay, Cunningham and lobbyist Jack Abramoff.Pam Wilson, a 35-year Tahoe City resident who recently moved to Auburn, said she hadn't been following recent reports on the corruption scandals that started this past fall to feature Doolittle's name more prominently."Obviously, it's possible for anyone to become involved," Wilson said.Rod Comstock, an Auburn gardener, said he's been following reports and sees the political problems as an offshoot of a good ol' boy system in Washington."They're in the limelight with people watching every move they make," Comstock said. "Sooner or later you're going to get caught. Like the saying goes, nobody's above the law."Doolittle, through spokesmen, adamantly downplays the links to politicians and lobbyists who are either under investigation by a grand jury or the Justice Department or, in the case of Cunningham, has already pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges.On the grand jury investigation of Abramoff, Doolittle press secretary Laura Blackann said any suggestion the District 4 congressman had some improper involvement in matters recently disclosed about the lobbyist is based on irresponsible speculation by the media and completely without merit."Congressman Doolittle has not been contacted by the Justice Department or FBI nor has he received a subpoena in regard to the grand jury investigation of Jack Abramoff," Blackann said.Doolittle hasn't received a subpoena related to other matters either, she added. A examination of reports coming out of Washington, San Diego and Texas, as well as Doolittle campaign and political action committee filings, shows a politician whose rise in influence and power has been matched with inflows of cash from lobbyists and business owners with a stake in currying favor with the Northern California Republican. That higher profile has also led to intense scrutiny by a Washington press corps routing out information on several scandals involving the Bush administration and congressional corruption.The nation's leading newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times have all weighed in, with the Post quoting unnamed sources close to the Abramoff investigation saying that "Abramoff's connections to Doolittle are also of interest" to investigators and prosecutors.The Post report outlines the connections between the congressman and the lobbyist that the unnamed sources state are now under Justice Department scrutiny. Kevin Ring, Doolittle's chief of staff in the mid-1990s and now a lobbyist for the city of Lincoln, worked for Abramoff. Doolittle's wife, Julie, also worked for Abramoff and his firm raising funds for a charity the lobbyist had created."Two sources close to the investigation said that Ring, while working from Abramoff, was an intermediary in the hiring of Julie Doolittle's firm, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc., which last year received a subpoena from the grand jury investigating Abramoff," the Post reported.Doolittle Chief of Staff Richard Robinson defended Julie Doolittle and Sierra Dominion's fund-raising activities. Describing Julie Doolittle as "one of the most capable and hardest-working people I know," Robinson characterized Sierra Dominion as an effective small business owned by the congressman's wife that provides marketing, event planning, fundraising and related services to several clients, including her husband's Superior California Fed Leadership PAC.Political Action Committees, or PACs, are political committees organized to raise and spend money to support and oppose candidates. A part of American politics since 1944, they can support labor, business or ideological views. PACs can give $5,000 to a candidate's committee each election."Consistent with other fund raisers, Sierra Dominion receives a commission on all funds it is directly involved in raising," Robinson said. "Through Julie Doolittle's highly skilled personal efforts as part of Sierra Dominion work, she has caused the congressman's leadership PAC to be increasingly successful in raising funds for the preservation of our Republican majority."Doolittle had tried several other Washington-based PAC fundraisers in the past but none matched Sierra Dominion's hard work and effectiveness, Robinson said."Julie has significant experience in fund-raising and event planning and has performed similar duties for several clients," he said. NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTIONWhile Doolittle is getting attention from the Post, an NBC television report last week concentrating on the possibility of a plea bargain with Abramoff and the Justice Department stated Rep. Robert Ney, R-Ohio, was the focus of a related bribery investigation. No mention was made about Doolittle in the NBC report.Earlier this month, a group of several news outlets including The Associated Press, stated that two defense contractors who prosecutors allege bribed ex-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham with everything from a Rolls-Royce to an antique commode - a total of $2.4 million - also donated funds to Doolittle, DeLay and other key lawmakers.Doolittle, a member of the Appropriations Committee with Cunningham, took in $46,000 from Poway, Calif. defense contractor Brent Wilkes, his wife and his associates for his campaign or PAC. Wilkes has been identified in court documents as a co-conspirator.The Associated Press report stated there is no indication the donations to Doolittle or the Doolittle PAC were improper. It also stated prosecutors have not suggested that the investigation into Cunningham's dealings involves Doolittle or other politicians. But the San Diego Union-Tribune subsequently reported that Texas prosecutors working on a case that alleges DeLay funneled $190,000 in corporate contributions through a PAC to seven Republican state Legislature candidates have issued subpoenas to Wilkes, his business associates and two companies owned by Wilkes. The Union reported that the House defense appropriations subcommittee Cunningham sat on "helped create programs that resulted in at least $95 million in contracts " for ADCS Inc., one of the Wilkes companies. Doolittle continues to staunchly defend DeLay and has contributed $15,000 to his defense fund.Blackann described DeLay as "an effective Republican leader who has become a target of baseless political attacks,""Mr. DeLay has been brought to trial by a partisan district attorney who is abusing his office in order to score political points and raise funds for liberal Democrats," Blackann said.Several of the lawmakers who accepted money from Wilkes and associates have said they'll divest the donations by giving the money to charities. Robinson said Doolittle's stance is he's done nothing wrong and has no intention of returning any campaign contributions that were made in a lawful or ethical manner.Funding from Wilkes and associates primarily went to the Doolittle-controlled Superior California Fed Leadership PAC.Federal filings show Brent Wilkes and his wife, Regina Wilkes both contributing $5,000 to the Superior California fund on Feb. 10, 2004 - part of $46,000 in contributions that were made during the 2003-04 funding cycle by Wilkes and associates. A total of $496,941 in contributions to the fund was made from all sources during the two-year cycle. During the same 2003-2004 election funding cycle, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions received $74,939 in what are described in the filing as fundraising commissions. The total includes a payment of $4,500 received five days after the Wilkes' donations. Over the 24-month filing period, Julie Doolittle would receive eight payments of $4,200 or more, plus several smaller payments. Robinson said Julie Doolittle receives commissions instead of a salary on all funds she raises."Sierra Dominion's compensation is based entirely on performance in that it receives a percentage in what it is directly involved in raising," Robinson said. "This arrangement is not only consistent with that of other fund raisers but is designed to avoid the appearance that Sierra Dominion is compensated for anything other than its tireless and effective work. Any suggestion otherwise is completely without merit."Congressional ethics rules require members to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest when accepting donations.GAMING LETTER QUESTIONEDThe Abramoff link to Doolittle was amplified last month when reports surfaced that the District 4 congressman was among a group of 36 lawmakers who took donations from the lobbyist and Indian tribal gaming clients while mounting a letter-writing campaign to block a potential competitor. The Associated Press reported Doolittle received $1,000 from Abramoff several weeks before he signed onto a letter, then took another $16,000 from two of Abramoff's casino tribal clients about two months later. "By year's end, Doolittle also had used Abramoff's restaurant to cater a campaign event and received an additional $15,000 from tribes," the AP reported.Blackann said it's no surprise that Doolittle would sign a letter opposing Indian gaming "since he has an established 25-year record of fighting against the expansion of all forms of gaming her in California and across the country.""To suggest the reason he signed a letter along with 35 other members of Congress opposing the establishment of a casino was because of anything other than his long-held anti-gaming position is both ludicrous and insulting," Blackann said.Sierra Dominion received a subpoena for records regarding its services to Greenberg Traurig (Abramoff's lobbying firm) and Jack Abramoff and cooperated fully by making its records available, Blackann said."In no way did Sierra Dominion's work for Greenberg Traurig or Jack Abramoff have any relationship to Congressman Doolittle's official duties as a member of the House of Representatives," Blackann said.Pete McCloskey, a Republican congressman from 1967 to 1982 for the Silicon Valley who owns property in Placer County, said that while the revelations coming from Washington are important, the developments have yet to be absorbed by local voters. Alarmed by what he considers the "monstrosity" in lobbying connections with Republican officeholders, he formed a Revolt of the Elders group of former Republican lawmakers to block a move to change House rules to protect DeLay from losing his leadership post if indicted. "Generally, voters have a dim view regarding what goes on in the Beltway and don't care," McCloskey said. "But if there's one thing the Republican Party has stood for, it's fiscal responsibility. If Doolittle gets indicted, that will ring home."The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.