Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham answered "yes, Your Honor" when asked by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns if he had accepted bribes from someone in exchange for his performance of official duties.

Later, at a news conference, he wiped away tears as he announced his resignation.

"I can't undo what I have done but I can atone," he said.

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"He did the worst thing an elected official can do _ he enriched himself through his position and violated the trust of those who put him there," U.S. Attorney Carol Lam said. The statement did not identify the conspirators.

The case began when authorities started investigating whether Cunningham and his wife, Nancy, used the proceeds from the $1,675,000 sale to defense contractor Mitchell Wade to buy the $2.55 million mansion in Rancho Santa Fe. Wade put the Del Mar house back on the market and sold it after nearly a year for $975,000 _ a loss of $700,000.-  [Calif. Congressman Admits Taking Bribes]  

Ted's Happy Ending

A number of foreign citizens purchased tickets, as the law permitted, including Hong Kong businessman Eric Hotung, who recently agreed to buy Senator Edward M. Kennedy's Virginia estate for nearly $6 million, about $1 million more than the asking price.

Hotung shared coffee at the White House with Clinton last year after his wife, Patricia, a US citizen, donated nearly $100,000 to the DNC. Hotung, who has close ties to Chinese leaders, also hired a Washington law firm in 1995 to lobby on behalf of his Chinese interests. He spent $6,014 on inaugural tickets. [--Big donors dominated 'cleanest' inaugural Big donors dominated 'cleanest' inaugural --By Bob Hohler, Bostin Globe 05/05/97]

When former White House chief of staff Erskine B. Bowles at the last minute balked at guaranteeing a $1.35 million mortgage for the Clintons' new house in Chappaqua, N.Y., McAuliffe rode to the president's rescue.

In a move that enables the Clintons to buy the house – and Hillary Rodham Clinton to have a base for her New York Senate run – the 42-year-old real estate developer and dealmaker pledged to put up $1.35 million in cash to secure a mortgage for the Clintons. Otherwise, swamped by more than $5 million in legal debts, the Clintons might have had difficulty obtaining the loan for the five-bedroom, century-old house.

~~

This is far from the first time McAuliffe has come to the aid of the Clintons. He headed fund-raising for the president's 1996 reelection campaign, devising the strategy that included wooing big donors with such benefits as overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom. [See Edward Kennedy's Wonderful Day above] .---Clinton's Home Loan Deal Raises Questions

McAuliffe was rewarded by being appointed head of the Democratic National Committee, as a Clinton surrogate.  If I was writing the Duke Cunningham Story, he would have driven a bomb laden F-4 into the Democratic National Convention last year, and  been chiseled onto Mt. Rushmore.  Now, it's too late.