Posted on 01/16/2006 6:56:07 PM PST by se_ohio_young_conservative
U.S. Representative Bob Ney may be giving up his position.
A spokesman for Ney says he will temporarily step aside as chairman of a committee that oversees lobbying.
The Ohio Republican is at the center of the Justice Department's ongoing corruption probe. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff said in his guilty plea earlier this month that he bribed Ney on behalf of his clients.
A spokesman says Ney needs a few days to think about whether to give up his post on the House Adminstration Committee.
POSTED: 6:24 pm EST January 16, 2006 UPDATED: 7:53 pm EST January 16, 2006
-- Ohio U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, a Republican, has temporarily stepped down from his position as the House Administrative Committee chairman, in the midst of a congressional scandal.
Because of Ney's decision to step aside, he will not have any major part in a lobby reform bill that is set to come before the committee in the near future. As the committee chairman, Ney would have overseen the reforms to change the way Congress works with lobbyists.
Earlier this month, lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to identify government officials who he says took bribes. Abramoff said he and his associates gave Ney campaign donations, travel and other bribes in exchange for official acts. Ney denies the allegations.
Ney represents the 18th District in Ohio, which locally includes Harrison, Tuscarawas, and Guernsey counties and parts of Belmont County.
In an interview with NEWS9, Ney said he agreed to temporarily step aside as the committee chair because the false allegations against him were becoming a distraction to other members of the committee.
"Because of the lobbying reform - which I am going to support - part of it has jurisdiction through the committee. I think it gave a couple of people some heartburn in Washington that I was charging the panel, so if they have heartburn over it, I can be their Rolaids for awhile."
Ney said he believes Abramoff is targeting him and other governmental leaders in order to decrease his own sentence.
"He is talking about 12 members," Ney said. "I happen to be the first out of the box, but the man is looking at 40 years in prison and I think that says a lot."
Ney says the allegations against him are false, and he expects to return to the committee chair once an investigation is complete.
"I don't take the decision lightly, and I've always said I've done nothing wrong," Ney said. "I take the job seriously for the good for the institution and the service of my constituents, I continue to do my job. I'm not hunkered down in my house. I'm out active in my district."
Ney said he is willing to talk to investigators about the allegations, but so far no one has approached him with questions.
Ney said the allegations will not cause problems with any local projects he is spearheading in the Ohio Valley.
Stay tuned to NEWS9 for continuing coverage.
Jill Del Greco, NEWS9
This is a big non-issue. No one outside the Beltway cares about this from a political perspective. But to connect Abramoff with DeLay, Ney, etc. is just Dean-Sheehan skullduggery. Abramoff is a corrupt guy, but both parties are equally guilty. DeLay wasn't friends with him: Abramoff had a yarmulke and a full beard -- would DeLay be friends with someone like that?
And for the party of Tammany Hall to try to make the corruption issue their own? Bring it on!
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