At Least 11 Members of Congress Now Under Investigation

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While Congress has been busy dealing with issues such as the Iraq War, the U.S. attorney firings controversy, and the federal minimum wage this year, some members have had their attention diverted by legal problems. By our count, eleven members of Congress (and ten former members who departed with the 109th Congress) are currently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. Over the past few weeks, new details have emerged in several of these cases. Here’s a quick rundown of the latest info (with the appropriate background):

Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In past years, Doolittle accepted large amounts of campaign contributions from Abramoff, allegedly aided Abramoff’s tribal clients in dealings with the Interior Department, and also helped the lobbyist win a contract from the Northern Mariana Islands by endorsing a politician there. In addition, Doolittle's wife, Julie, was paid a retainer by Abramoff for event planning services from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, Julie Doolittle was subpoenaed for documents in connection with the probe. Last month, the FBI raided John and Julie Doolittle's Northern Virginia home, seizing materials related to Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc. (Julie's firm). John Doolittle resigned from the House Appropriations Committee days later.

Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) has been mentioned multiple times in court documents filed by the Justice Department as "Representative #3" in the criminal investigation of Mark Zachares, a former congressional aide to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and lobbyist who, last month, pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from Jack Abramoff. The FBI recently asked Feeney for information about his dealings with Abramoff as part of its ongoing investigation into the lobbyist. Feeney is one of three House members who previously accompanied Abramoff to Scotland on golfing trips — the others being convicted former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and indicted former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). In January 2007, the House announced that Feeney had violated chamber rules by allowing Abramoff to pay for the trip.

Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his real estate transactions. In 2000, Miller appeared at a Monrovia, California city council meeting to lobby city officials to purchase 165 acres of his land in order to convert it into a wilderness preserve. In 2002, Miller sold the land to the city, earning a profit of over $10 million. The money earned from the land deal was then subject to both federal and state taxes, at a 31% rate. Miller, however, told the IRS and the state of California that Monrovia had forced him to sell the property under the threat of eminent domain. This, in his view, allowed him to shelter the profits from capital gains taxes for more than two years before having to reinvest the money. Miller had previously claimed the same exemption in two Fontana, California property transactions. Several months ago, Monrovia officials claimed that Miller sold the land willingly and that the congressman had not been forced to sell.

Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) is currently the subject of two Justice Department investigations. The first centers on his involvement in a federal land swap deal, in which Renzi allegedly agreed to introduce legislation in 2005 completing a swap for a former business partner, James Sandlin. Second, Renzi is being probed for introducing legislation (which became law) exempting the Fort Huachuca Army base in Arizona from maintaining water levels in the nearby San Pedro River. ManTech International, a military contractor who has been one of Renzi’s largest contributors and currently employs his father, has over $450 million in contracts at the base. Last month, the FBI raided Renzi’s wife’s Arizona insurance business, prompting him to step down from the House Intelligence, Resources and Financial Services Committees.

New developments are sure to emerge in the coming weeks and months, and we at Congresspedia will continue to closely follow the stories and update the site. For more details on ongoing probes into current and former members of Congress, be sure to check our members under investigation page, as well as the respective profile pages of those troubled members.