Another Republican Pleads Guilty To Putting His Hand In The Till

An eight-term California Congressman has admitted taking bribes in a sleazy kickback scheme with a defense contractor. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty today to conspiracy, tax evasion charges, and mail and wire fraud. He's a Republican. Did you even need to ask?

At his tearful resignation press conference, he said, "I can't undo what I have done but I can atone," he said.

Under Republican caucus rules, Cunningham would have lost his chairmanship of the House Intelligence subcommittee on terrorism and human intelligence. "House Intelligence" seems more and more like an oxymoron every day.

The former Vietnam War flying hero was known as a hawk, often given to cranky outbursts.

Cunningham was fingerprinted and released on his own recognizance until a Feb. 27 sentencing hearing, where he could get 10 years in prison. He agreed to forfeit to the government his Rancho Santa Fe home, more than $1.8 million in cash, antiques, and rugs.

In a statement, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid to him by several conspirators through a variety of methods, including checks totaling over $1 million, cash, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees and vacations.

Cunningham joins the ever-growing list of G.O.P. leaders either in the hoosegow, or headed there: Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, and Scooter Libby.
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