This is such a shame.
Nebraska lawmaker Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R) has been urged to step down by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy following his conviction for lying to federal investigators.
On Thursday (March 24), Fortbenerry was convicted on three felony charges in connection to a $30,000 donation from a foreign billionaire. A day later, Pelosi and McCarthy stated he should resign.
Although House rules do not require lawmakers to resign following a conviction, they do prohibit convicted lawmakers from casting votes for a period of up to 2 years.
On Friday (March 25), on the last day of House Republicans’ annual policy retreat, McCarthy commented that Fortenberry “had his day in court,” adding that if he wanted to appeal, he should do it as a “private citizen,” a comment that suggests he wanted Fortenberry to resign.
McCarthy also indicated that he had texted Fortenberry on Thursday night following the conviction and would be speaking to him on Friday.
While he didn’t direct his comments at Fortenberry in particular, McCarthy stated, “I think when someone’s convicted, it’s time to resign.”
Fortenberry was found guilty on two counts of making false statements to the FBI while they were investigating a $30,000 campaign donation from Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury and one count of falsifying and concealing material facts. Each count faces up to five years in prison.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called on Fortenberry to resign on Friday, remarking in a statement that, “Congressman Fortenberry’s conviction represents a breach of the public trust and confidence in his ability to serve.” She added that “Congressman Fortenberry must resign from the House.”
However, Fortenberry has revealed that he plans to appeal the federal jury’s conviction, statements confirmed by sources with intimate knowledge of Fortenberry’s strategy.
