Another One Bites the Dust
For months, whenever questions arose about an influence-peddling investigation, Rep. Robert Ney, an Ohio Republican, was adamant: He did nothing wrong and wouldn't resign. But all that was so much smoke. First, Ney announced he would retire. Then, last week, he agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges linked to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Ney acknowledged his guilt on charges of conspiring to defraud the public of his "honest services" and making false statements. According to prosecutors, Ney accepted trips worth more than $170,000 from Abramoff, his lobbyists, and their clients. The Abramoff team showered him with campaign gifts, meals, and sports and concert tickets; Ney gave them legislative help. Separately, Ney admitting taking "thousands of dollars" in gambling chips from a foreign executive who wanted his help.
This story appears in the September 25, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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