Speaker calls on Dem congressman to resign after conviction
WASHINGTON – House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling on Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah to resign immediately after his conviction on charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering.
In a statement late Wednesday, Ryan said the veteran Pennsylvania lawmaker had betrayed the trust of the House and his constituents. Ryan said he hoped Democratic leaders would join him in calling for Fattah’s immediate resignation.
The congressman was convicted Tuesday in a racketeering case that largely centred on efforts to repay an illegal $1 million campaign loan.
His lawyers had argued that the schemes were engineered without Fattah’s knowledge by two political consultants who pleaded guilty in the case.
The 59-year-old Democrat had been in Congress since 1995. But he lost his April primary and his bid for another term.
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