In a letter to Parliament on Saturday, the nine-year-old Republican Fortenberry said he was stepping down from Congress, effective March 31. “I am honored to serve with you in the United States House of Representatives,” the letter said. “Because of the difficulties of my current situation, I can no longer serve effectively.” Fortenberry’s announcement followed coordinated pressure from political leaders in Nebraska and Washington to resign. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called on Fortenberry to resign on Friday. Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Rickets said Fortenberry must “do the right thing for his constituents” and step down from his 2005 post. Fortenberry was indicted in October after authorities said he lied to FBI agents in two separate interviews about his knowledge of a $ 30,000 illegal contribution to his campaign by a foreign billionaire. Fortenberry was interviewed at his home in Lincoln and then again with his lawyers present in Washington. At the trial, prosecutors presented recorded telephone conversations in which Fortenberry was repeatedly warned that the contributions came from Gilbert Chagouri, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. Donations were channeled through three barns to a fundraiser in 2016 in Los Angeles. According to court documents examined by the Washington Post, Chagoury was accused of making illegal contributions to the campaign worth up to $ 180,000 to four US political candidates, including Fortenberry. One of Chagoury’s associates donated $ 30,000 to “a man in a Los Angeles restaurant who, along with others, later contributed to the campaign,” in Fortenberry’s re-election campaign, according to officials. Chagoury had links to Defense of Christians, a non-profit organization fighting the persecution of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East, court documents have revealed. He tried to channel money to “politicians from less populous states, because the contribution would be more noticeable to the politician and thus promote increased donor access,” federal prosecutors said. Fortenberry’s sentence is set for June 28, with each charge spanning up to five years in federal prison. Fortenberry said he would appeal immediately. The time of Fortenberry’s resignation is expected to trigger snap elections. Governors may not appoint one person to the seat. Under Nebraska state law, the governor must schedule snap elections within 90 days of a vacancy in Congress. Each political party may nominate a candidate to serve the remainder of the term of office of a member of Congress. Fortenberry’s resignation letter opened with a poem, Do It Anyway, related to the universal mother Teresa. One line says: “What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. “
