Wright to Quit House This Week; Will Not Run Again

Rep. Jim Wright (D-Tex.), who quit as Speaker rather than face ethics charges, announced Monday that he will resign his House seat at the end of the week and not seek elective office again.

His written statement dashed the hopes of many of his Ft. Worth constituents that he would reconsider his announced plans to leave the House and either remain in Congress or resign and seek a new mandate in a special election to fill the vacancy.

Wright, 66, said that he would not foreclose the possibility of future national service in some other way but his statement ruled out the idea of remaining in Congress.

“It is best for the institution and best for the people whom I’ve served that I step aside now and make room for others,” he said.

“To seek and gain the splendid honor of a public endorsement one more time would be vainglorious,” Wright explained. “To do so without intending to serve for a prolonged period would be pointless. To postpone the moment when another may begin would be a disservice.

“I do not foreclose the possibility that at some future time and in some other way I may again be of service to our nation, but not elective office.”

Wright’s statement did not mention it, but his departure from the House will end the investigation of his personal financial affairs by the House Ethics Committee, and its charges against the former Speaker will now become moot.

The 12-member panel, which accused Wright of improperly accepting gifts worth $145,000 from Ft. Worth business partner George A. Mallick Jr. and scheming to avoid a congressional limit on speaking fees, has not ruled on Wright’s motions to dismiss the major charges against him.

Wright, who denied any wrongdoing, stepped down as Speaker on May 31 in an emotional speech before his House colleagues, contending that he was a victim of “mindless cannibalism.” The Democratic Caucus elected House Majority Leader Thomas S. Foley of Washington as Wright’s successor on June 6.

Despite his plans to leave Congress at the end of June, Wright said that he received “thousands of written and verbal requests from people in my district urging me to reconsider.”

While he did not encourage these appeals, Wright added, he did not dismiss them out of hand because of his respect and affection for those who wanted him to stay in the House as a rank-and-file member.

Wright said independent polling data made it clear that he could be reelected--an apparent reference to a recent Ft. Worth Star-Telegram poll indicating that 68% of Ft. Worth voters think he should remain in Congress.

“These demonstrations of strong bipartisan support are truly gratifying,” Wright said, “but I feel that I probably have done as much good as I can do in Congress at the present time and should look to the next phase of my life.”