Think Progress documents the "musical chairs" among the ethically challenged members of the GOP caucus:
After demoting one member of his caucus for corruption, Boehner has chosen to promote and reward two other deeply corrupt congressmen.
- Doolittle out: In mid-April, the FBI searched the Virginia home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) as part of “its investigation into the ties of the congressman and his wife, Julie, to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.” Soon after, he was forced to step down from his seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
- Calvert replaces Doolittle: The House Republican Steering Committee voted last week to appoint Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) to Doolittle’s vacant seat. Calvert, who has a history of scandals, including extensive profiting from legislation he supported and a well-publicized escapade with a prostitute, is one of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s “20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress”
- Feeney replaces Calvert: Yesterday, Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who was recently questioned by the FBI over his relationship to Abramoff, told the Orlando Sentinel that “he would take over as GOP leader on the space subcommittee, part of the overall House science committee.” He’s replacing Calvert, who had to abandon the position in order to accept Doolittle’s appropriations seat.
All three members, Doolittle, Calvert and Feeney, are named in Beyond DeLay, as among the 20 most corrupt Members of Congress in CREW's report, Beyond DeLay.