John Doolittle "thrilled" that Investigation is Dropped

As the AP reported Friday, the Justice Department has dropped its criminal investigation into Jack Abramoff co-conspirator John Doolittle. Let's see what more we can mine from the news reports. McClatchy Newspapers' John Doyle provides some of the best coverage.

Statute of Limitatations

A Justice Department corruption investigation that helped drive John Doolittle from office has now been closed without charges being filed, the former Sacramento, Calif.-area congressman said Friday.

"I'm thrilled," Doolittle said in an interview. "They've dragged this thing out for six and a half years..."

Doolittle said he might never have learned of the development if he hadn't insisted that his attorney call the Justice Department shortly before the Memorial Day weekend. Doolittle said that though some people warned him against "waking the sleeping dog," he was anxious to find out the status of his case so he could help his employment prospects.

The ACR Blog views this information as confirmation that Mr. Doolittle had signed a tolling agreement that waived the statute of limitations (SoL). After all, the SoL on corruption-related crimes is five years. Mr. Doolittle says the investigation lasted six and a half years, meaning that the SoL should have expired a year and a half ago. Apparently, it didn't. We infer that some milestone passed "shortly before the Memorial Day weekend"; specifically, we believe that the most recent tolling agreement expired at that time. It is highly unlikely May 2010 marked a SoL expiration related to corruption-related crimes committed in or about May 2005 (five years ago). After all, that was well over a year after Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Susan Schmidt broke the Abramoff scandal wide open (February 2004).

Julie Doolittle


(L-R) John Doolittle, Kerrie Ring, Kevin Ring, Julie Doolittle

The Justice Department named Mr. Doolittle's wife, Julie, as one of Mr. Abramoff's co-conspirators.

Doolittle added that he believes the phone call means no case will be brought against his wife, Julie, as well, though he said he's been frustrated in efforts to find out for sure.

Mr. Doolittle obviously has better information than we do regarding the legal status of his wife. Therefore, we'll take what Mr. Doolittle says at face value: It is unlikely that Mrs. Doolittle will be charged although we don't have any confirmation of that. Mrs. Doolittle held a little-to-no work job paid by Greenberg Traurig, Mr. Abramoff's former lobbying firm.

"No Evidence"

"[The Justice Department} had made up their minds that they were going to get me," Doolittle said Friday, "but there was no evidence against me."

We've already conceded that Mr. Doolittle has better information than we do about this case. But this statement is demonstrably false. There is evidence galore against Mr. Doolittle. The ACR Blog is not a court of law and does not claim to know whether the evidence would be sufficient to support a criminal conviction. Mr. Doolittle's statement is evidence to the ACR Blog that he is a dissembler, though. Let's look at just some of the evidence:

1. Mrs. Doolittle received tens of thousands of dollars in payments from Greenberg Traurig for little, if any, work. Prosecutors said that these payments were "at the heart of the fraud" in the Abramoff scandal. Mr. Doolittle and his congressional staff (David Lopez) pressured Mr. Abramoff to "hire" Mrs. Doolittle.

2. While in Congress, Mr. Doolittle was very supportive of clients of Mr. Abramoff even when those clients were not anywhere near Mr. Doolittle's northern California district. For example, according to Team Abramoff lobbyist Todd Boulanger, Mr. Doolittle intervened on behalf of the Sac and Fox, an Iowa Indian tribe, to reopen the tribe's casino. Mr. Doolittle also intervened in an effort to help another Abramoff client, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts, gain federal recognition.

3. Mr. Doolittle also assisted Mr. Abramoff in supporting another of the lobbyist's clients, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). When it comes to the CNMI, the ACR Blog typically defers to its friend Wendy at Unheard No More! This is no exception. Please follow the link to learn more about Mr. Doolittle's role in the CNMI. Pay particular attention at how Mr. Doolitte's staff tried to retaliate against a human rights advocate who was testifying to Congress about abuses in the CNMI.

Legacy

Mr. Doolittle is a rare breed. Neither conservatives nor liberals admire him. This is primarily because the former Congressman has no guiding principles. Mr. Doolittle was an earmark aficionado. Mr. Doolittle's decision not to seek reelection in 2008 cleared the path for California's 4th district to elect conservative Tom McClintock to the seat. Mr. McClintock is a true Tea Party style conservative who refuses to engage in the destructive practice of earmarking. Mr. Doolittle's ethical problems led to the unexpected result of truly ethical and conservative representation for CA-04. At least there was a good result to this mess. (Why couldn't TX-22 get a good conservative after Tom DeLay left?)