California Fish and Game Commissioner Dan Richards has an answer for critics calling for his resignation over photos of him with a dead mountain lion he killed in Idaho, where such hunting is legal.  

A legion of state assembly members has called for Richards' resignation, having recently been joined by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. The calls for his resignation were reiterated by environmental and animal rights groups, including the California Sierra Club. California has long banned the hunting of mountain lions. 

Richards sent a letter to Assemblyman Ben Hueso saying he would not resign. A brief snippet of the defiant letter: 

Do you really think a California Commissioner is actually obligated to follow California law across these United States? Really?

Did I try to change California's laws subversively? Did I encourage anyone to circumvent our rules and regulations? Have I ever suggest [sic] any changes to Prop 117? No, of course not.

Some, including Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, have come to Richards' defense, calling California politicians "hypocritical." Here's an excerpt:

Should an official who legally hunts any animal or catches any fish elsewhere that's protected in California be censured? Should one who legally bets on basketball in Reno be required to do penance in California?

Same-sex marriages are still illegal in California, although that may, thankfully, change soon. Would it be improper for a gay or lesbian legislator to legally marry in another state?

Here's the Richards letter, via SacBee:

Richards Letter

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