Rep. John Doolittle, twice named one of the most corrupt members of Congress by CREW in our annual report Beyond DeLay, is being urged to forsake re-election. One of those providing that advice is former Rep. Richard Pombo, who is another Beyond DeLay designee. Pombo was defeated in his 2006 re-election bid. Pombo and Doolittle were the subjects of a brutal editorial by the San Jose Mercury News in October of 2006 over their ethical failings and ties to Jack Abramoff:

As speculation mounts about his future, Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) is being urged by friends and colleagues not to seek reelection.

Republican operatives fear that if Doolittle does not retire at the end of this Congress and survives what would be a bruising GOP primary, they will lose the nine-term lawmaker’s seat. Doolittle is under an ethics cloud, having had his Virginia house investigated by the FBI last year. Several prominent Republicans are seeking to defeat him in the primary.

According to three well-placed Republican sources, former Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) — who lost his seat amid ethics allegations — has called on longtime friend Doolittle to not seek reelection in the interest of keeping the district a GOP stronghold. In the last Congress, Pombo was a panel chairman while Doolittle was a member of GOP leadership.

Pombo could not be reached for comment.