GOP Rep.'s wife earns $224,000 as his fundraiser

During his reelection campaign, GOP Rep. John Doolittle's wife worked as a fundraiser for the campaign. Rather than earning a flat fee, she got a 15 percent commission on every donation raised - creating the impression that campaign donations given to John Doolittle directly benefited his household.

The Associated Press reports:

Julie Doolittle's fundraising for Doolittle's campaign became so controversial during his campaign that he announced last month she would no longer be doing it, though she might continue to work for his political action committee, a separate committee that Doolittle uses to raise money for other candidates.

Julie's company helped raise close to $2.5 million for the campaign and she was owed $224,000 in fundraising commissions during the 2005-06 campaign cycle. Unfortunately, the Representative's campaign in hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and only hs $44,000 on hand.

The Mercury News reports that spokesman Richard Robinson said Doolittle has a fundraiser planned for this month and has been mailing letters to supporters asking for contributions.