Alan Mollohan has temporarily resigned as lead Democrat on the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct - the Ethics Committee. There's a good chance that this is only the first shoe to drop.
Tom DeLay and Bob Ney are object lessons - on the Republican side - of how difficult it is to hold on to your House seat once you get tarred with unethical behavior. And Mollohan certainly fits that description, now. He realized that surrendering his post would be seen by many as an admission of guilt - and that was why he fought hard to hold onto it.
Having effectively confirmed the suspicions of many that he did something wrong, he'll now have to convince the voters of his district that he still deserves re-election. That's very hard to do.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Mollohan Quits Ethics Post; Will the House be Next?
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The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that federal prosecutors have opened an investigation of Mollohan's personal financial disclosures. The article also raised questions about earmarks or special provisions included in federal spending bills -- that he has steered to nonprofits in West Virginia in the past five years. Mollohan, a member of both the ethics and appropriations committees, has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He acknowledged in an interview making real estate investments with the head of a nonprofit company that received federal money from earmarks Mollohan backed. But, he contended, he is fully "at risk" in the investments and received no special favors in either financing or locating the investments.
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Shanon
house for sale by owner
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