One day after U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan announced he will temporarily step down from the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, Mollohan said he must leave his post to defend himself.

Mollohan said the National Republican Party launched the attack on his finances to avoid questions geared toward the Republican Party.

"They want to talk about this stuff, they don't want to talk about gasoline prices. They don't want to talk about Iraq. They don't want to talk about not being honest about the reasons we went into Iraq," said Mollohan.

Mollohan's likely opponent in the general election, Republican Chris Wakim of Ohio County, W.Va., says stepping aside is a good first move.

Wakim said Mollohan should answer three specific questions about his own finances.

"The first question being, how does your net worth increase from around half a million dollars, with $100,000 in credit card debt to up to $25 million in four years?" said Wakim.

Mollohan said his finances did not fluctuate.

"They don't and they don't. And they don't," said Mollohan.

"The second question is, on your ethics report you neglected to mention that you own 305 acres in Canaan Valley," said Wakim.

"Forgot it, what. That is absurd. And that is the kind of campaign he is going to run," said Mollohan.

'The third question I would ask is, how do you increase the net worth on your apartment unit in Washington D.C. up to 6,000 percent over four years," said Wakim.

"That's the property rise in values in Washington, and he's been told that 100 times and he knows the answer to that. So again, this is the kind of campaign he's going to run, well we'll be there," said Mollohan.

Former member of the ethics committee U.S Rep. Howard Berman is filling Mollohan's seat on the panel.

Barbara Anderson, NEWS9