Burning Atlanta

This is too funny. Maybe somebody needs to check all politicians and their associates.

SF Chronicle

Michael Kamburowski, an Australian immigrant who served as the California Republican Party's chief operating officer, abruptly resigned Sunday -- less than 24 hours after The Chronicle reported he had been ordered deported in 2001, jailed in connection with the order, and now has a $5 million wrongful arrest lawsuit pending against U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials.

The move was reported in a terse statement late Sunday by state party chair Ron Nehring, who said the state GOP's Operations Committee accepted Kamburowski's resignation during a teleconference with him.

"We thank him for his service,'' Nehring said in his e-mail statement.

The news came as GOP officials and leaders expressed shock and fury at the troubled -- and apparently unknown -- immigration history of the person who handled the multimillion-dollar budget of the nation's largest state Republican Party.

Kamburowski's attorney, Michael DiRaimondo, said his client challenged the government's deportation order and an immigration court overturned it. Both Kamburowski and DiRaimondo said Kamburowski is a lawful permanent resident.

In 2005, Kamburowski filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York alleging wrongful arrest and imprisonment. His lawsuit, which details his immigration history, seeks $5 million in damages for "severe emotional stress and embarrassment" and loss of his job.  OK, so maybe his immigration status was in doubt a while back and they got it straightened out. But it sounds like plenty are pissed this guy ever made it to COO and that he's suing this country.