JOLIET, Ill., Sept. 21 U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Ill., under an ethics investigation for failing to report Nicaraguan land purchases, said Friday he is leaving Congress.
Weller made the announcement in a speech at the Joliet Area Chamber of Commerce, which gave him its "Spirit of Enterprise" Award, The Chicago Tribune reported. He said he wants to spend more time with his wife -- Zury Rios de Weller, a member of the legislature in Guatemala -- and their young daughter.
"I want to see my daughter grow up, and we may even be blessed with a second child," Weller said. "Our priority is family. I want to be a good husband and I want to be a good father. For the benefit of my family, I can no longer seek another term in the United States House of Representatives."
Weller is in his seventh term in Congress. An aide said he and his wife made the decision to give up his seat during the summer, before news reports that he had failed to report land acquisitions.
After the announcement, a member of Weller's staff allegedly pushed Mike Flannery, political editor for CBS2 in Chicago. Flannery told the Tribune he plans to press charges.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
