John Doolittle has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from industries that contribute to global warming. Since he was first elected to Congress, Doolittle has taken more than $400,000 from the oil and gas industry, utility companies, and other global warming pollution-producing industries, while corporate lobbyists have contributed more than $200,000 to his campaign coffers.
The “ethically bankrupt” Doolittle is one of the most corrupt members of Congress.
In 2006, Doolittle was named one of the 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress for ethics violations by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) surrounding his wife’s sizeable financial gain from his position, as well as his acceptance of donations from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Doolittle was a key player in the Abramoff scandal. Since 2003, he has accepted more than $70,000 from lobbyists and businesses linked directly to both the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and the bribery of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham. The Sacramento Bee called these connections “ethically bankrupt.”
Doolittle has set up his campaigns to pad his wife’s bank account, an arrangement which the Washington Post called “shady” and “couldn’t smell more.” Doolittle’s campaign pays a 15 percent fundraising commission to a company in which his wife is the sole employee. In other words, 15 percent of every political campaign contribution to Doolittle goes straight to his household.
Given his sizable contributions from industries that only worsen the global warming crisis, it’s no surprise that Doolittle chooses to keep his head in the sand when it comes to global warming.
Doolittle stubbornly maintains that global warming is “over-hyped.” In spite of overwhelming evidence from scientists, Doolittle proclaimed at a recent town hall meeting in South Lake Tahoe, “I don’t really buy into the whole global warming catastrophe argument…We shouldn’t be too alarmed.”
Doolittle voted to give $14 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies to the global warming pollution-producing energy industry.
When he had an opportunity to help fight global warming in 2007 with his vote on H.R. 6, Doolittle stood with corporate polluters and their lobbyists and voted against repealing billions in subsidies to energy companies.
Doolittle voted against legislation that would increase fuel efficiency standards and make cars and light trucks go farther on a gallon of gas.
Doolittle voted against the environment on 20 out of 20 related bills in the 109th Congress. He earned a zero percent score for 2005 and a zero percent score for 2006 in the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund scorecard.
