John Doolittle/Commentary

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John T. Doolittle, the Republican Representative for California's 4th District, was first elected to Congress in 1990. He is House Republican Conference Secretary for the 109th Congress.

Influence-Peddling

The Wall Street Journal reported November 25, 2005, that the Justice Department's "investigation into possible influence-peddling by prominent Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is examining his dealings with four lawmakers, more than a dozen current and former congressional aides and two former Bush administration officials, lawyers and others involved in the case."

Those named were House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), Representative Bob Ney (R-Ohio), Representative John Doolittle (R-California) and Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana), "according to several people close to the investigation." [1]

"Doolittle's former chief of staff, Kevin A. Ring, went to work with Abramoff. Doolittle's wife, Julie, owned a consulting firm that was hired by Abramoff and his firm, Greenberg Traurig, to do fundraising for a charity he founded. Two sources close to the investigation said that Ring, while working for 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," Susan Schmidt and James Grimaldi, reported in the November 26, 2005, Washington Post.

"Julie Doolittle's attorney, William L. Stauffer Jr., said Sierra Dominion Financial was hired by Greenberg Traurig to provide 'event planning, marketing and related services, as requested by Mr. Abramoff' for Abramoff's Capital Athletic Foundation and his Signatures restaurant. Sierra Dominion received a monthly retainer from Greenberg Traurig from January 2003 until February 2004, at a rate similar to that paid by other Sierra Dominion clients, Stauffer said.

"Abramoff frequently used the athletic foundation as a pass-through organization to run lobbying efforts and to pay for expenses, records show. Julie Doolittle was hired to put on a fundraiser for the foundation at the International Spy Museum, but the event was canceled because it had been scheduled to take place just at the Iraq war was commencing, Stauffer said.

"'Sierra Dominion primarily performed public relations and other event planning services for the Spy Museum event,' Stauffer said in an e-mail reply to questions. 'This included responding to all individuals calling the Capital Athletic Foundation concerning the Spy Museum event, identifying (and contacting) possible attendees for the event, and assisting in fund raising strategy and letters.'

"Doolittle's office denied any connection between the firm's work and official acts."

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American Indian Dollars

"Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff or Indian tribes he once represented donated tens of thousands of dollars to members of Congress from California, and some returned the money or will donate it to charity," the Associated Press's Michael R. Blood reported January 5, 2006.

Doolittle, "whose political committees banked $50,000," came in second on the California list which is "headed by House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, whose political committees received $54,500 from Abramoff or the tribes, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group that analyzed political contributions from 1999 to 2005."

Doolittle on DeLay

  • "He's honest, ... And he is a member's member." --New York Times, November 18, 1998.
  • "Republican activists have come to know Tom DeLay as a conservative fighter, someone you can count on for leadership, ... When [he] catches on a bit more, I would think you're talking about someone with a national following and image along the lines of Newt Gingrich." --Washington Post, March 20, 1999.

. . . and Other Doolittle Quotes

  • "Conservative Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), for example, said he hoped a Bush administration would beat back efforts at campaign finance reform and gun control while dramatically cutting federal regulation. 'The power of the presidency, coupled with a Republican Congress and conservative control of the Supreme Court, is nothing short of awesome,' said Doolittle, one of DeLay's closest allies. 'This is the implementation of the rest of the 'Contract With America.'" --Washington Post, December 6, 2000.
  • "A DeLay ally, Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), said Republicans 'are going to have to respond in kind' by filing ethics charges against key Democrats. From now on, he said in an interview, it's a matter of 'you kill my dog, I'll kill your cat.'" --Washington Post, June 15, 2004.
  • "'I do not subscribe to the theory of global warming,'he said. 'Liberals like to use pseudo-science.' He said that liberals want to implement severe restrictions and their actions 'would make everything more expensive.'" [Chester Progressive, Wednesday, Aug 16, 2006, pg 16A. (Doolittle interview with newspaper, Chester,CA)]

Campaign Finance "Reform"

The Doolittle Bill: "Citizen Legislature and Political Freedom Act," 105th Congress. Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, March 6, 1997 (Published online by the Hoover Institution, Stanford University):

"The legislation introduced by Congressman John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.) provides for deregulating campaign finance, eliminating both contribution and expenditure limitations. It also provides for ending federal financing of presidential campaigns. Its emphasis is on improved disclosure of campaign finance information primarily through electronic filing. To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform the financing of campaigns for election for Federal office."

Project Evergreen

In early 2000, Doolittle wrote a letter announcing "Project Evergreen" seeking suggestions from conservative supporters on administrative measures that could be advanced following the election of George W. Bush as President. "When I speak before or meet with Americans concerned by the extremism of the so-called environmentalist movement, I often find myself counseling only defensive action. But rather than complaining and beating back Clinton Administration proposals, we may soon have the chance to take the initiative with a new Republican president," Doolittle wrote.

"I would like to assemble a list of Executive Orders and rule changes that a new president can enact immediately upon taking office to go on the offensive against the extreme environmentalists. The real changes enacted by a new administration occur in the first year or so. By putting together a master plan now, we can ensure that this tremendous opportunity is not wasted," he wrote in his letter.[2]

Note: Doolittle's Project Evergreen is not to be confused with a group with the same name announced in 2005 as being formed by "US pesticide makers, applicators, garden centres and mower manufacturers".

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Contact Details

Washington Office
2410 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-2511
Fax: 202-225-5444

Primary District Office
4230 Douglas Blvd., Ste.200
Granite Bay, CA 95746
Phone: 916-786-5560
Fax: 916-786-6364

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External links

Profiles

Campaign Issues & Voting Record

Campaign Contributions

By John T. Doolittle

Articles & Commentary

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