Weller will not seek 8th term in Congress

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Sep 22, 2007

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Republican U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, recently named one of the most corrupt members of Congress by a watchdog group, announced Friday that he will not seek an eighth term.

"I need to give my family the time needed to be a full-time dad and full-time husband," Weller said during a Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce luncheon. "I'm 50 years old; I've given half of my life to public service."

Weller's announcement comes amid a swell of scrutiny. A watchdog group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington recently declared him one of the 22 most corrupt members of Congress. He's fighting a subpoena in a former colleague's bribery trial, and he faces criticism that he did not reveal to Congress the extent of Nicaraguan land purchases.

Weller refused to take reporters' questions after his speech.

His troubles began when a Chicago Tribune investigation showed Weller did not report several Nicaraguan land deals in congressional ethics statements, and that Weller reported higher purchase prices on other transactions in the U.S. than were reported in Nicaragua.