Keeping the pressure high on Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), The Washington Post ran an editorial today on his wife’s 15% cut of campaign contributions for “fundraising” services. The verdict:
The arrangement couldn’t smell more.
And they add one more detail to the fray:
We’ve been reluctant to criticize congressional spouses whose related careers — as lobbyists or campaign consultants, for example — predate their marriages. Mrs. Doolittle does not appear to present such a case. Mr. Doolittle points to a 2001 Federal Election Commission advisory opinion that permitted the wife of Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) to be hired as a Jackson campaign consultant. In that case, though, Sandi Jackson had extensive political experience and a written contract with her husband’s campaign. Asked if Mrs. Doolittle has a contract, a representative of her husband’s office declined to answer specific questions. Similarly, Mr. Doolittle’s office says he’s been told by the House ethics committee that his arrangement is permissible, but his office did not provide any documentation.
Hmmm…
