WASHINGTON – California Republican Rep. John Doolittle secured a coveted spot in the House GOP leadership partly on the strength of his ties to Tom DeLay. And he called lobbyist Jack Abramoff a good friend.

Now that Abramoff has pleaded guilty in a congressional lobbying scandal and DeLay has resigned his majority leader post, those connections are coming back to haunt Doolittle.

The eight-term conservative congressman is among a handful of lawmakers, including DeLay, whose dealings with Abramoff have caught the attention of federal investigators.

Doolittle accepted campaign money from Abramoff and used his luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially reporting it. The congressman's wife and one of his former aides did work for the ex-lobbyist.

Doolittle denies wrongdoing and his spokeswoman said he has not been contacted by the Justice Department or the FBI. But at least one of his GOP colleagues said this week that Doolittle has some explaining to do.

"I think he needs to define clearly what his issues are, if they exist, and otherwise I think it will become difficult for him to continue" in his leadership post, said Rep. Charlie Bass, R-N.H.

A number of rank-and-file House Republicans, including at least two Californians, are calling for new elections for the House GOP leadership in February – with the exception of the speaker. That would force Doolittle to campaign for his leadership job amid concern over the Abramoff scandal.

Doolittle serves as Republican Conference secretary, not a top post but one that gives him a seat at the table when the speaker, majority leader and others meet.

"It's important that with this election we move forward in the most positive way we can, and that would include looking at any baggage that any member may have," said Rep. Mary Bono, R-Calif.

Doolittle's spokeswoman has dismissed concerns about the congressman's ability to hang on to the job.

"Mr. Doolittle is not concerned about the media's irresponsible speculation affecting his leadership position," said spokeswoman Laura Blackann.

"Any suggestion that Congressman Doolittle may have had some improper involvement in matters recently disclosed about Mr. Abramoff is based on irresponsible speculation by the media and is completely without merit," she said.

Doolittle is unlikely to lose re-election in his rural and heavily Republican Northern California district in the Sierra foothills northeast of Sacramento, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats 48 percent to 30 percent.

Doolittle, who won re-election in 2004 with 65 percent of the vote, is among the most conservative members of California's GOP House delegation. He's been a staunch DeLay ally, distributing lapel pins in the shape of tiny hammers to colleagues last year after DeLay was indicted on campaign finance charges in Texas. DeLay's nickname is "The Hammer."

Doolittle is also among the lawmakers with the most visible ties to Abramoff, ties that have attracted the attention of federal investigators, The Associated Press has reported, citing people familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of likely grand jury proceedings.

Among the connections:

– Doolittle's wife, Julie, ran a fundraising company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc., that did work for Abramoff. Sierra Dominion's records were subpoenaed in 2004 by the grand jury looking into the Abramoff case.

– Kevin Ring, a Doolittle aide from 1994 to 1997, later worked as a lobbyist under Abramoff. Ring refused to answer questions before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigating the scandal last summer, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

– Doolittle was among more than two dozen lawmakers who signed a February, 2002 letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton urging her to reject an Indian casino opposed by Abramoff's tribal clients. Doolittle received $1,000 from Abramoff several weeks before he signed the group letter then got $16,000 from two of Abramoff's casino-operating tribal clients about two months later. By year's end, Doolittle also had used Abramoff's Washington, D.C., restaurant to cater a campaign event and received an additional $15,000 from tribes.

– Doolittle used Abramoff's luxury box at a Washington sports arena for a fundraiser, failing to report the value of the box, as required, until the Washington Post ran a story on it.

– Doolittle accepted a total of $4,000 from Abramoff and another $46,000 from Abramoff's tribal clients, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Unlike other lawmakers who have rushed to shed Abramoff's money, Doolittle has no plans to get rid of the cash, saying he refuses to give the appearance he's done something wrong by returning money that was legally and ethically received.