Calvert Gets Doolittle's Approps Seat

Republican Rep. Ken Calvert of California was tapped Wednesday to fill the spot on Appropriations vacated by fellow California Republican John Doolittle after the latter agreed to step down from the panel following an FBI raid on his northern Virginia home, GOP aides said.

Calvert has long been favored to fill the next open seat on the spending panel, but there was concern among members and aides that tapping him would send the wrong message to voters after the Los Angeles Times raised questions about his support for an earmark near property he then sold at a dramatic profit.

Committee membership is determined, in part, to ensure the various states are represented, and those regional concerns apparently trumped whatever reservations members of the Steering Committee had about Calvert's land deal.

Democrats quickly condemned the move.

“Evidently, John Boehner’s idea of restoring ethical standards to Congress is replacing one scandal ridden Republican with another," said Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committe. "Is it really that hard to find a Republican not under investigation?”