Washington Post:  “Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) stepped down Wednesday as the top Republican on the House appropriations subcommittee on agriculture, one day after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of lying to federal investigators about his campaign contributions.”

“Under House Republican rules, lawmakers who have been indicted must resign from their committee assignments while the charges are pending. Fortenberry’s resignation from the appropriations subcommittee was accepted without objection, according to the House Clerk’s Office. The congressman, who was elected in 2004, said in a video released Monday evening that he anticipated the indictment. His wife, Celeste, in a letter to supporters before the indictment was announced, labeled it a ‘false accusation.’ Fortenberry, 60, served on the Lincoln City Council for four years before winning an open House seat in 2004 on a conservative record of opposition to abortion rights and same-sex marriage. He has easily won reelection in the Republican-leaning district.”

“The federal grand jury with one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators looking into illegal contributions to his 2016 campaign, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California. The charges center on a $30,200 donation made by Gilbert Chagoury, a wealthy Nigerian business executive of Lebanese descent, in January 2016 ‘using other individuals as conduits,’ according to the indictment.”