Politics, Pressure and Money

The guilty plea Monday by Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar) to misdemeanors stemming from his 1992 campaign was regrettable evidence of the effect that the astronomical cost of running for public office can have on congressional candidates.

Kim and his wife, June, face up to six months in prison when they are sentenced in October for concealing illegal campaign contributions. Even if he escapes jail time and even though he is not required by law to step down, Kim nevertheless should resign. His constituents deserve representation by someone free from any cloud. From the Abscam scandals to the House post office case, members of Congress have proven all too susceptible to the lure of money, whether for their campaigns or their personal benefit.

This newspaper endorsed Kim in 1992, when he went on to become the first Korean American elected to Congress, representing parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. His career was impressive. A refugee from war-ravaged South Korea, Kim worked his way through USC and succeeded first in business and then in politics. But his embrace of unsavory aspects of the political system tarnishes that earlier image.

Contributions from foreign individuals and corporations have been at the center of this summer’s Senate hearings on the financing of last year’s presidential campaigns. Violating the campaign contribution laws is wrong, but the enormous pressures to raise money to run for public office should not be overlooked. The Kim case, like the Senate hearings, demonstrates again the need for thoroughgoing campaign finance reform.