Bob Ney (R-OH) of Freedom Fries fame, is main target of Abramoff probe

[ShaneGR]

http://www.cleveland.com/newslogs/plaindealer/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_plaindealer/archives/2006_01.html#102833

ashington -- Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff is scheduled to plead guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion charges in federal court this afternoon, in a far-ranging web of alleged deceit that could entangle Ohio Republican congressman Bob Ney and one of his former staffers.

The charges that Abramoff is expected to admit include plying a congressman identified as "Representative 1" with favors including a lavish golf trip to Scotland, campaign contributions, sports tickets, and regular meals at an upscale restaurant owned by Abramoff, according to documents prepared by the Justice Department.

In exchange for "things of value," the charges say the congressman -- who has previously been identified as Ney -- performed a "series of official acts to benefit" Abramoff's businesses and clients.

These included agreements to support or pass legislation, place statements in the Congressional Record and meet with Abramoff's clients. The alleged scheme also involved helping an Abramoff client who wanted to install wireless telephone equipment in the House of Representatives, a government document says.

[ohio_liberal]

1. God I hope so

This vicious bastard is every bit as dirty as DeLay and the rest. I look forward to his indictment. Where will it happen?

[blm]

7. What is Ney's district? Is he one of Diebold's protectors?

.

[ohio_liberal]

9. He's in the 18th District

Sequoia rep donated money to Ney, that I know for sure, then he went to work for Diebold.

[blm]

11. The vote machine folks certainly are incestuous that way.

.

[mod mom]

29. It contains Kenyon College where students waited 10+ hours to vote.

Glad the corrupt bastard is going down. I only hope that as Chair of the House Administration Committee (fed elections) he has some goods to serve up!

[ananda]

2. What about Bugman?

DElay?

[AlCzervik]

5. don't worry, his day is a comin. think "Capitol hill athletic foundation"

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&client=safari&rls=en-us&q=The+capitol+athletic+foundation+and+tom+delay&btnG=Search

[K8-EEE]

3. Didn't The Freedom Fries Guy Repent To A Degree?

Didn't that idiot finally come to the conclusion that the war is a mistake?

Hey did they ever change that menu back, God I hope so--that whole French-baiting distraction was one of their stupidest and most embarassing EVER....

[txindy]

8. Happily, in Texas, those stupid stickers are disappearing. Slowly.

What idiocy. All of France is a beautiful, green, habitable land. No one could say that about Texas.

[iconoclastNYC]

14. French GNP in 2000 was 1.55 Trillion Dollars.

I doubt Texas is even close.

[zbdent]

23. Weren't the Texans crowing sometime in 2005

about how France was reaping what they had sown, with Paris burning . . . ?

[txindy]

26. That would be the Flush Limbaughs and Bill O'Lielys of the world

I don't recall hearing anything of that nature here.

[Sydnie]

10. Wasn't the freedom fries guy from NC, not OH? n/t

[ohio_liberal]

13. The NC guy started it I think, then Bob Ney picked up the ball and ran

n/t

[LSK]

18. yeah, I thought the Freedom Fry guy was from the South somewhere

And he did finally come around about the war.

[goclark]

24. Sounds like he was trying to clean up

his act before the TRUTH came out about him.

[oldtime dfl_er]

4. Ohio, huh?

What district? Wouldn't be that one where a "terrorist alert" caused the locking of the doors during the vote count, would it? Lord, to be a journalist in Ohio these days...you could really make a name for yourself.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/793803

[ohio_liberal]

6. 18th District

Nowhere near the terror alert county.

I can tell you a fun story about Bob Ney, a transportation bill, and trying to sneak in funding for the demolition of a private bridge in TED STRICKLAND's district. That's right, the guy who owned the bridge donated $$ to Ney's campaign, and also happened to be his landlord in the old district. He's a complete bastard.

[Sydnie]

12. I remember that story! n/t

[ohio_liberal]

16. I'm glad to hear it!

That story got surprisingly little traction. Mr Ney told the local news that he had never heard of the guy, so a few of us started digging around and found thousands of dollars in donations from the man and his wife and that the building Ney's office used to be in was owned by the same person! I tell you, they don't even really try to hide the corruption anymore.

[Norquist Nemesis]

15. That was in Warren County. Ney is 18th district

which doesn't include Warren. http://ney.house.gov/District.aspx?Section=0

I believe the (dis)Honorable Jean Schmidt is Warren County's rep.

[iconoclastNYC]

17. That's Warren County

Ohio is a really fucked up state because of Republican redistricting. It's not because Ohio's citizens are all crazy fundy Republicans. There are a lot of them but there are also a lot of very liberal people too.

The last election with all the election intiatives HAD to fail because if they had gone thru, and Ohio was redistricted fairly and campaign finance reregulated, Ohio would have switched Blue in a very dramatic fashion.

[EFerrari]

19. Um, how do we know Warren Co. isn't already blue?

Or, OH for that matter?

:)

[iconoclastNYC]

22. Well yeah, it is really

But Up is down until the system is repaired and the media reports that Up is now Up.

The blue states that remain really need to put together some sort of plan to liberate states like Ohio and Flordia from Republican anti-democracy.

[Botany]

25. Warren "terror lockdown" County

Is not blue but it and many of the other counties are much closer to being 50 50.

The repugs in the state house know this and are trying to push through HB 3 which will
codify election fraud in Ohio. It will stop recounts, keep people from looking @ voting machines
and tabulators, and other cute tricks ..... "they" are scared about the truth getting out.

People we are VERY CLOSE ..... to the dam bursting and the stolen 04 election getting out.

[mod mom]

30. We're expecting HB 3-The Republican's Pro-Disenfranchisement bill to sneak

up this week. Stay tuned!

[Botany]

32. let me know ....

.... i live in Columbus ..... it (HB 3) is nothing more then a way to steal elections

But I have a tinglely feeling that the Ohio's and this nation's stolen election is about to break .....
maybe with the NSA spying on Kerry. At his state HQs we had our computers hacked into ....
5/6 firewalls were breached and phones were tapped too.

[mod mom]

33. I certainly will. Bring an orange sash to wear in chambers (no signs

allowed)-also expect some fireworks when it re-appears!

[Botany]

20. Bob "HAVA" Nye

Is responsible for Help America Vote Act in 2002 that put 80% of the vote tabulation w/
diebold & EES nationwide.
He also kept John Conyers from getting subpoena power to look @ Ohio's vote.
He also held "kangaroo court" hearings in Columbus, OH in March of 05 .... @ the hearings
Mark F. "Thor" Hearne who was chief legal consul for bush / cheney 04 ..... he was the spokesman
for ACVR (American Citizens for Voting Rights) ..... it was formed in Dallas, TX on 3/17/05
and gave testimony on 3/22/05 ...... Nye was instrumental in getting ACVR into the hearings.

The man is as dirty as it gets. Abramoff will rat him out in a heartbeat.

[ohio_liberal]

21. He called Conyers' hearings "Faux hearings"

I'm tellin ya, he's a complete bastard. And I will dance in the street the day he is indicted.

[bush_is_wacko]

27. Actually I think Ney is just next in line...

It looks to me as if they are trying to go after them all or as many as they can get anyway. If Ney rolls (which I doubt)he'll roll on the next in line until they get to DeLay. I really think SEVERAL of them are finally going to get what is coming to them. Thus, the scramble in Washington to start giving back any and all funds related to Abramhoff.

Maybe that is the real reason for the month long vacation so that DeLay can get his affairs in order. Money transfers are likely going on at an astounding rate right now.

[Greeby]

28. The Freedom Fries guy is Walter Jones of North Carolina

Who is the one of the main Republican co-sponsors of H.J.Res. 55, a plan put together by Kucinich and Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) to end the war.

[mod mom]

31. Ohio Dem Party response:

HASTERT SHOULD STEP IN!   
 
NEY EMBROILED IN MORE SCANDAL;
FOR GOOD OF COUNTRY, NEY SHOULD FOLLOW DeLAY LEAD & STEP DOWN FROM COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIP
For Immediate Release                                                          January 3, 2006
Contact: Brian Rothenberg, Comm. Dir.                            Phone: [phone]
 
COLUMBUS – With the revelation by the Department of Justice today that indicted Lobbyist Jack Abramoff has agreed to a plea deal and published reports that Congressman Bob Ney (R-Newark) is one of the main legislators mentioned in the Abramoff case, the Ohio Democratic Party called on Mr. Ney to step down from his powerful House Administration Committee Chairmanship in Congress.
 
The plea deal released earlier today appears to refers to influence peddling and references a Congressman as "Representative No. 1" who took trips to Scotland. Ney was previously reported to have been on the receiving end of a trip to Scotland involving Abramoff and his clients. 
 
“Congressman DeLay has set the standard for indicted Congressman by stepping aside, with an ethics cloud of prosecutors circling, Bob Ney should do the same,” said Chris Redfern, Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party.
 
 “Bob Ney is dragging the nation through sordid articles, ethical questions and the legal scrutiny as it increasingly leads to a likely indictment. He arrogantly claims he is duped and that these allegations are political. But we are pretty clear as these allegations unravel that this isn’t political, it is criminal,” said Mr. Redfern.
Rep. Ney according to recent FEC reports arranged for his campaign to pay $135,881 in legal fees in connection with federal and Miami based investigations into his actions.
“If Bob Ney doesn’t voluntarily step down from his Committee Chairmanship, Speaker Hastert should force the matter,” said Mr. Redfern. “When you look at the allegations involving Mr. Abramoff, it is clear that the influence of Congressmen appear to be the basis for the plea bargain. Bob Ney shouldn’t be in that position of influence unless he is cleared.”