Political comebacks by the ethically challenged
Several days ago, CBS News reported that former Rep. James Traficant (D-OH) intends to run for Congress again even though he was convicted in 2002 on corruption charges. Now, ex-Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) is expected to announce today that he's attempting to make his political comeback.
Although (unlike Rep. Traficant) he never faced criminal charges on corruption, Rep. Pombo was widely criticized on ethics issues during his final term in office. In 2005, Pombo made CREW’s list of the 13 “most corrupt members of Congress.” (Click here to find out what earned Pombo such dishonorable recognition by CREW.)
According to Politico:
Pombo, the former chairman of the House Resources Committee, lost his reelection bid in 2006 to now-Rep. Jerry McNerney, 53 percent to 47 percent. He’s now opting to run in the neighboring 19th District for the open seat created by (Rep. George) Radanovich's retirement.
Political observers cited the ethics controversy surrounding Rep. Pombo as a major reason for his reelection defeat in ’06. We'll see if running in a different House district changes Pombo's political fortunes.
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