Doolittle did a lot to invite FBI investigation

An interesting trend of note on the Flash Report is Jon Fleischman’s use of the “trust me” and “these are good and honest people” and “my experience in law enforcement” as ways of deflecting some negative tidings coming down on a loyal Republican that Jon has always “known for years.”
Here’s a post from yesterday commenting on Rep. John Doolittle’s home being searched by the FBI in conjunction with the Jack Abramoff scandals.  The search centers around a home office where Congressman Doolittle’s wife ran a consulting firm that benefited from Abramoff “contributions.”
Jon writes: “…in this case, I have known John and Julie Doolittle for nearly twenty years.  I know them to be honest and good people, and would be the first to try to encourage FR readers not to be sucked in to what will be a liberal-media driven vortex of ‘guilt by association’ — don’t do it.  I spent many years working for a law enforcement agency, and I know full well that it is often the case that investigators will serve subpoena’s to rule out suspects, or based on tips or information that simply turns out to be false.”
Jon goes on to discuss Doolittle’s narrow victory last time over Democrat Charlie Brown(not resisting a chance to say, seriously, that’s his name…Charlie Brown, while missing the obviously Do-Little for the incumbent’s name) in what is a solid Republican district.  And Jon speculates that Doolittle will come under internal pressure to retire.
But let’s move the conservation back to the quote where Jon opines that the investors are ruling out suspects or acting on tips proven to be false.
Over at the TPMmuckraker site, Doolittle’s Abramoff case is laid bare and is pretty damaging.  For example:
·         As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Doolittle helped steer $37 million to a company called PerfectWave, a company owned by Brent Wilkes, one of two defense contractors from whom disgraced, convicted and jailed Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham admitted taking bribes. From 2002 to 2005, Wilkes and his associates raised $85,000 for Doolittle.
·         Doolittle’s PAC paid his wife large sums for fundraising work through her company.  Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions, which is run out of the Doolittle’s home, was paid 15% of any amount raised for them. Abramoff hired Sierra Dominion to put on a fundraising event for the Capital Athletic Foundation, Abramoff’s “charity” that Abramoff used as a slush fund. But the event never took place.
·         The Justice Department subpoenaed Sierra Dominion’s records in 2004.
·         Dating back to 1999, Doolittle’s campaigns and associated committees have received$140,000 from Abramoff, his lobbying associates, and his clients.
·         Abramoff made $2,000 in personal contributions to each of Doolittle’s 2000 and 2002 re-election campaigns ($4,000 total). Kevin Ring and other Abramoff colleagues gave $9,000.
·         Abramoff’s tribal clients and lobbying associates gave substantially to the Doolittle. As much as $92,000 flowed to his Superior California Federal Leadership PAC since 2002, another $20,000 went to Doolittle’s state leadership PAC, and $15,000 to a PAC Doolittle controlled for a conservative Republican group called the Conservative Action Team.
·         Doolittle, of course, denied any wrongdoing and refused to return any money received from Abramoff.
·         Doolittle held a fundraiser at Abramoff’s skybox at the MCI Center and failed to report it. He also used Abramoff’s restaurant, Signatures, for fundraising events.
·         Doolittle used the skybox on Feb. 25, 1999 and did not report the use in his federal election records. When the broadening Abramoff investigation discovered this, Doolittle’s office responded that it was an oversight and sent Abramoff a check in late 2004.
·         In 2002, Doolittle was one of 26 other lawmakers who wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton urging her to prevent a Louisiana Indian tribe from opening a casino. Two of Abramoff’s tribal clients nearby did not want the casino open, and Abramoff lobbied to stop it. The Associated Press reported that Doolittle “received $1,000 from Abramoff weeks before he signed the group letter, and later received $16,000 from Abramoff’s casino-operating tribal clients about 60 days 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.”
·         In exchange for helping him secure the $37 million earmark for PerfectWave, Brent Wilkes paid Doolittle’s wife $14,400.  Her firm has no phone listing or Web site and no other known employees. Julie Doolittle has gotten $180,000 in commissions since late 2001 just from political fundraising for her husband. Neither Doolittle nor his wife will say who her other clients are, but three others are known: Greenberg-Traurig, Jack Abramoff’s lobbying firm; Signatures, Jack Abramoff’s restaurant; and the Korea-US Exchange council, a major player in the Abramoff scandal. The Federal Election Commission has since issued a request for information about the Doolittle fundraising commissions.
Remember, Jon calls the Doolittle’s “good and honest people.”  I’m sure if they were Democrats, he’d have a different point of view.