U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., arrives at the federal courthouse for his trial in Los Angeles, earlier this month. Fortenberry was convicted Thursday on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser.
Jae C. Hong/AP
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Jae C. Hong/AP
U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., arrives at the federal courthouse for his trial in Los Angeles, earlier this month. Fortenberry was convicted Thursday on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser.
Jae C. Hong/AP
OMAHA, Neb. — Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska on Saturday resigned from office after a California jury convicted him of lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national.
In a letter to the House, Fortenberry said he was resigning from Congress, effective March 31.
“It has been my honor to serve with you in the United States House of Representatives,” he said in the letter. “Due to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer effectively serve.”
Fortenberry’s resignation letter opened with a poem, “Do It Anyway,” that’s associated with Mother Teresa. One line from the poem says: “What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.”
Fortenberry’s announcement followed concerted…