GOP convention coordinator resigns

WASHINGTON, May 11 (UPI) -- The coordinator for the U.S. Republican National Convention said he resigned from his position amid reports his firm represented the government of Myanmar.

Newsweek reported Saturday the lobbying firm DCI Group had a $348,000 contract with the military junta of Myanmar in 2002 and 2003. The firm represented the military junta in meetings with White House officials, the Washington Post reported.

Doug Goodyear, DCI Group's co-founder and presumptive GOP nominee John McCain's choice to run the convention in September, resigned from his post Saturday "so as not to become a distraction in this campaign," the Post said Sunday.

RNC spokesman Matt Burns said Goodyear's abrupt departure will not effect preparations for the September convention in St. Paul, Minn.

"We're going to have a successful convention in September," Burns said. "We look forward to it, and planning is moving forward, as it has been for more than a year."