OMAHA, Neb. (AP) 鈥� Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska on Saturday resigned from office after a California jury about an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national.
In a letter to the House, Fortenberry said he was resigning from Congress, effective March 31.
鈥淚t has been my honor to serve with you in the United States House of Representatives,鈥� he said in the letter. 鈥淒ue to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer effectively serve.鈥�
Fortenberry's resignation letter opened with a poem, 鈥淒o It Anyway,鈥� that's associated with Mother Teresa. One line from the poem says: 鈥淲hat you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.鈥�
Fortenberry鈥檚 announcement followed in Nebraska and Washington for him to step down. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday urged Fortenberry to resign.
Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts said Fortenberry should 鈥渄o the right thing for his constituents鈥� and leave the office he has held since 2005.
Fortenberry was indicted in October after authorities said about his knowledge of an illegal $30,000 contribution from his campaign from a foreign billionaire. Fortenberry was interviewed at his home in Lincoln, and then again with his lawyers present in Washington, D.C.
At trial, prosecutors presented recorded phone conversations in which Fortenberry was repeatedly warned that the contributions came from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. The donations were funneled through three strawmen at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.
Fortenberry鈥檚 withdrawal from the primary leaves . The former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, who has won endorsements from Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman, has a strong advantage in the Republican-leaning 1st Congressional District. State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, a Democrat from Lincoln, is also running for the seat.
Pansing Brooks said Fortenberry鈥檚 conviction is a 鈥渨ake-up call鈥� that the district needs a change.
In a statement Saturday, Pansing Brooks said: 鈥淭his opens the door for a new approach to serving (the 1st Congressional District). I am ready and able to meet that challenge and lead with integrity.鈥�
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Grant Schulte, The Associated Press
