Doolittle To Retire At End Of 110th Congress

Embattled GOP Rep. John Doolittle (Calif.), facing continuing legal and political problems over his ties to imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff, announced today that he would retire at the end of the 110th Congress. Doolittle, in his ninth term, had repeatedly denied rumors over the last several months that he was stepping down.

Doolittle made no mention of Abramoff, or an ongoing Justice Department criminal probe of his ties to the once high-flying K Street influence peddler, in his remarks this morning, but it is clear that the Abramoff connection had severely compromised his political future. FBI agents raided Doolittle's home last year, leading Republican leaders to force Doolittle off the powerful Appropriations Committee, although Doolittle had vowed to clear his name and seek reelection.

"I plan to complete my term and finish my congressional service at the conclusion of this Congress," Doolittle said today. "It was not my initial intent to retire, and I fully expected to and planned to run again right up until very recently. But it distilled up on us that we were ready for a change after spending almost our entire married lives with me in public service. We are at peace with this choice and look forward to starting a new chapter in our lives."