Ray LaHood and Dennis Hastert have already announced their retirements. Now, they’ve apparently been joined by Congressman Jerry Weller. Considering everything surrounding Weller, it that might not be a bad thing:
Weller, a seven-term incumbent who boasts the most extensive foreign land holdings of any House member, has faced questions about his re-election intentions all month, following a Tribune investigation that revealed he failed to disclose several land transactions in Nicaragua on his congressional ethics forms.
On other sales, he reported vastly different purchase prices for the land in American and Nicaraguan records.
The Tribune also reported last week that a charity formed by Weller’s wife — Zury Rios de Weller, a member of the Guatemalan Congress — raised questions about whether Weller could legally exclude her assets from his congressional filings.
Umm … actually, it was the Chicago Reader who broke the story, back in October 2006. This same publication wrote extensively about the guy’s wife, the daughter of former Guatamalian dictator General Efrain Rios Montt, and how she is deeply involved in all sorts of evil stuff, including deadly anti-American demonstrations.
Weller is considered by many to be among the most corrupt in Congress. Fellow Blogginois member Archpundit has been all over Weller.
Weller’s 11th District includes Will County, and changing demographics means it’s been turning Democratic in recent years. It would have been a tough for Weller to win even without the corruption cloud over him. Getting him out of the race helps the GOP.
Of course, Weller doesn’t have the same level of class possessed by LaHood or Hastert, both of whom bowed out earlier to give members of their own party a better chance.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
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