Duke ducks out

Stating that the distractions of dealing with the legal issues arising from a series of questionable real estate and property transactions would make it difficult for him to do his job and concentration on a reelection campaign, Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham announced today that he will not run for reelection.

The eight term congressman ended one part of a saga that began just over four weeks ago with the disclosure that a defense contractor had over paid by as much as $700,000 for Cunningham’s Del Mar home.

With a federal grand jury scheduled to begin interviewing witnesses on Monday, Cunningham made his announcement at a hastily arranged press conference outside of the library at California State University San Marcos.

Cunningham also announced that he would sell his Rancho Santa Fe home and that some of the proceeds from that sale would go to charity. Cunningham stated that the sale of the home he purchased two years ago for $2.55 million and charitable contributions were to reassure his friends, not silence his critics.