Renzi is the gift that keeps on giving
Representative Rick Renzi, the Arizona Republican who was indicted last week by a federal grand jury on 35 corruption charges, issued a statement on Monday saying that he would not resign despite signals from Republican leaders in Congress that they would welcome his swift departure.
“I will not resign and take on the cloak of guilt because I am innocent,” Mr. Renzi declared in the statement. “My legal team of Reid Weingarten and Kelly Kramer will handle these legal issues while I continue to serve my constituents.”
Mr. Renzi, with his legal troubles mounting, had already announced that he would not seek re-election to a fourth term. But his insistence on remaining in office while fighting the charges is likely to frustrate fellow Republicans who are already facing enormous challenges in this year’s elections, including a persistent disadvantage in campaign money and a wave of retirements by incumbents.
Mr. Renzi had been serving as a Arizona state co-chairman of Senator John McCain’s campaign for president. But Mr. McCain has indicated that Mr. Renzi would be resigning that post.
A grand jury last week indicted Mr. Renzi on a raft of corruption charges, including fraud, money laundering and extortion. Prosecutors charged that Mr. Renzi pressured constituents to purchase land from his business partner in exchange for his support for legislation that the constituents needed. At least $733,000 in proceeds from the land sale were funneled back to Mr. Renzi, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors also said that Mr. Renzi and a partner in an insurance firm that he owned swindled clients, many of them non-profit organizations, by selling them policies and then stealing the premiums. Much of the money was deposited in Mr. Renzi’s campaign accounts, the prosecutors said.
Mr. Renzi, the father of 12 children, is one of several Republican lawmakers to be indicted or under investigation in recent months. He and two co-defendants are scheduled to be arraigned in Arizona on March 6. His indictment comes as the House is preparing to consider a proposal to create an independent ethics office to investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers.
Labels: Rick Renzi, Saint McCain
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home