Rep. Kim Should Resign Now

It has been six months since Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar) pleaded guilty to accepting more than $250,000 in illegal campaign contributions. By now, Kim should have resigned and let someone unsullied by corruption represent the 41st Congressional District, which includes parts of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

Last week the federal government urged a judge to order Kim jailed when he is sentenced next month. The congressman should not wait for sentencing to bow out.

Kim’s congressional career appeared promising in 1992 when he became the first Korean American elected to Congress. But last August he pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor violations of federal election law, admitting he took money from corporate and foreign donors illegally. He also acknowledged the accuracy of a statement of facts read to the court by a prosecutor detailing other fund-raising violations.

The congressman admitted committing the crimes while he and his wife were under investigation by the FBI. Kim’s wife, June, who helped manage his three campaigns for Congress, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and also awaits sentencing.

Kim’s plea, like the Senate hearings into 1996 presidential campaign fund-raising, demonstrated the need to reform the way campaigns are financed. But the pressure to raise money to run for office does not excuse breaking the law. Nor does it provide a basis for him to remain in Congress.