Rep. Andrews resigning from Congress
Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) on Tuesday said he will resign from Congress on Feb. 18 to take a job at Dilworth Paxson, a prominent law firm in Philadelphia.
The House, Andrews added, has always been an environment of “high energy and healthy division.”
“My decision is, however, most emphatically not a political decision about what is happening in Washington — it is a personal decision about the best path for my family. I am proud to serve with members of both parties, Democratic and Republican, liberal and conservative,” Andrews said.
{mosads}While Andrews said his decision to resign was personal, the pending ethics investigation into his campaign finances could have been a factor.
A slew of former lawmakers who faced ethics charges have resigned in the middle of their terms before the committee had the opportunity to issue a report on their investigations.
The congressman’s campaign committee has been spending more than $200,000 on a legal defense team to help him in the inquiry, according to The Courier-Post, a newspaper in southern New Jersey.
In October, CBS’s “60 Minutes” asked the congressman for an interview, but he didn’t respond. Instead, host Steve Kroft showed up at a hearing Andrews attended.
“I followed the rules, met the standards,” Andrews told Kroft about the investigation at the time and said he couldn’t say anything more because “my obligation is not to talk about a pending matter.”
Kroft said the House Ethics Committee told him they were fine with Andrews answering questions, but the congressman continued to refuse to comment.
President Obama thanked Andrews for his service, and commended his “tenacity and skill” in a statement the White House released Tuesday afternoon.
Andrews not only helped improve the education system, Obama said, but he also played a role in the creation of ObamaCare.
“More recently, Rob was an original author of the Affordable Care Act and has been a vital partner in its passage and implementation. The grandson of shipyard workers and the first in his family to attend college, Rob has worked hard to preserve the American Dream for future generations. Michelle and I thank Congressman Andrews for his service and partnership, and we wish him, his wife Camille, and their two daughters the very best,” Obama said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) praised Andrews in a statement.
In 2008, Andrews ran against the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in the primary, but lost. Andrews’s wife, meanwhile, had won the primary to replace him. For the general election, however, the congressman was able to instead have his name on the ballot, and won a full term in Congress again.
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