The former chief of staff to Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) went on a trip to Puerto Rico paid by Jack Abramoff’s lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig. According to the Associated Press, “House rules prohibit lawmakers and staff from taking trips paid for by registered lobbyists or lobbying firms.” The Doolittle staffer, David Lopez, went on the week-long “fact-finding” trip in 2001. Doolittle has increasingly come under the microscope for his ties to Abramoff. The congressman received tens of thousands of dollars from Abramoff’s tribal clients and $14,000 from the lobbyist himself; his wife was hired by the Alexander Strategy Group, which has since gone under due to an investigation into their dealings with Abramoff; and he and Rep. Richard Pombo have been accused of undermining a federal investigation into an Abramoff client.