Democratic U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah resigned from Congress on Thursday, two days after his conviction in a Philadelphia racketeering case.
Fattah, who served on the powerful Appropriations Committee during 11 terms in office, said he hastened his exit out of respect for House leadership and to avoid being a distraction.
“I am honored to have had the privilege to serve,” he wrote in a resignation letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Fattah, 59, had said earlier in the week he would leave office when he is sentenced in October, but Ryan urged him to step down immediately.
He had run for a 12th term, but lost the primary to state Rep. Dwight Evans weeks before his trial began.
Within the next 10 days Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf must call a special election, which must be held at least 60 days later. The governor’s spokesman said no decision on a date has yet been made. One option is holding the special election on Nov. 8, when the general election will be held.
A jury on Tuesday convicted Fattah on all 22 counts in a case that centered on his misuse of federal grants and nonprofit funds to repay an illegal $1 million campaign loan from his 2007 run for mayor.
The eight-year, on-again, off-again FBI investigation that followed his mayoral bid also brought down many people close to Fattah. His son was convicted of bank fraud in a related case and sent to prison for five years. Two political consultants who let him move money through their businesses pleaded guilty and testified against the congressman. Four trusted associates, two of whom had worked on his congressional staff, were convicted with him at trial.
And Fattah’s wife, Philadelphia TV anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, left her job after the indictment described her as a participant in one of the bribery schemes. She was never charged and denied wrongdoing.
Fattah, raised by community activists in West Philadelphia, had been in Congress since 1995 after a decade in the Pennsylvania Statehouse. His U.S. House term was to end Jan. 2, two months after his Oct. 4 sentencing.
Fattah’s undoing largely stemmed from his decision to join the Philadelphia mayor’s race in 2007. New campaign funding laws in the city hampered his effort, and led him to seek out the illegal $1 million loan from a wealthy friend, former Sallie Mae chairman Albert Lord. Fattah came in fourth in the primary, as city councilman Michael Nutter won the race and eventually the mayor’s seat.
Fattah was left scrambling to repay the loan. He routed federal grant money through a consultant and on to Lord, the jury found.
In a resignation letter Thursday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Fattah noted his successes in steering federal funds to education, housing, city infrastructure and other pressing needs.
He thanked colleagues on both sides of the aisle, along with his staff, his family and voters in his 2nd Congressional district.
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said Fattah did the right thing in stepping down.
“Congressman Chaka Fattah has fought for America’s hard-working families for more than 20 years,” the Democratic leader said. “His prompt resignation was the right thing to do for his constituents in light of the verdict against him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
That’s the first,And I hope there are many more that get caught and resign.The US will be better without them
START WITH HILLARY.. OBAMA, PELOSI, REED, BIDEN, FEINSTEIN, ET AL
When are they going to get Hillary and Obama?
tomorrow can’t be too soon.
Never because as soon as there is an indictment Obama will step in somehow and negate it. If we ever see her pay for her crimes I will probably have another heart attack.
NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KEEP UP ONE MORE TIME YOUR POLITICAL CORRECT CRAP AND YOUR SITE WILL BE HACKED. AND.. BAD!
would like to see a wing of a fed prison called fort dummycrat next to leavenworth run by sher joe any corrupt repubs could go there too
As many corrupt Democrats as there are in Congress I had to read the story to find out which one(s) resigned. This resignation will give the congressman some time to travel before he goes to prison. It may also protect his ability to draw a pension since he will not be in office when sentenced.
He may not even be in the country at sentencing time. May already be on his way back to his home country.
How many corrupt democrats does this make in the last 5 years. Tell me again? mayors, congress, department heads? Marilyn Mosby, the mayor and police chief of Baltimore? and how many repubs in contrast? One maybe two at the most? People we have a serious problem and itis ain’t Houston either. It has it’s OWN problems with a lessie for a mayor!
SO….. when do the tax dodgers….. the criminals currently sitting in congress get removed???? When does Pelousy get slapped down??? How about Reid???? We have a corrupt government led by a muslim pig criminal….. and killory pushing to be president!!! The once greatest nation ….. reduced to another muslim PIG SHIT COUNTRY!!! YOU HAVE ODUMB-ASS TO THANK FOR THAT ALONG WITH HELP FROM THE LYING, STEALING, SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING…. KILLORY!!!
As Trump said in his speech the other day, Others have done much less than Hillary and their lives have been ruined because of it. David Patreaus comes to mind. And Hillary just kicks those bodies out of the way because she has so many people who are protecting her. If she loses to Trump, and I pray every day that she will. then I hope Trump does what is right and has her indicted for crimes. Think of all the average ordinary citizens who are sitting in jail because of crimes they committed that are similar to Hillary’s but lesser in scope. Someday she will get hers but I am sorry but it may not be while she is on earth.
Why do we have the majority of major newspapers owned by Democrats, Liberals and Socialists that propagandize their baloney every day of the year? The Republicans use to be the big money men, so why didn’t they buy up the newspapers instead of the Demos? The Republicans need to get their backbones straightened up and start putting Americans and our country first. We need term limits, no pensions, no perks, no lunches, no paid vacations, no special medical care for those guys, unless we can deduct it from their salaries just like every other hard working American has to pay for.
When are Pelosi, Reid, Hillary, Obama and Kerry going to be charged with treason and corruption? When will Sharpton and Jackson be charged with hate crimes?
Absolutely!! Couldn’t agree more!! You took the thoughts right out of my head!!!!
Sempre Fi ????????
Absolutely!! Couldn’t agree more!! You took the thoughts right out of my head!!!!
Sempre Fi ????????