Rep. Ney to Temporarily Cede Panel Chair

[ProSense]

Rep. Ney to Temporarily Cede Panel Chair

WASHINGTON — Rep. Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican implicated in a lobbying corruption investigation, will step aside temporarily as chairman of the House Administration Committee, his spokesman said Sunday.

He said the congressman needed a few days to think about the decision after word got out Friday that he was in negotiations with House Speaker Dennis Hastert to relinquish the post.

"Congressman Ney continues to believe he will be vindicated and he hasn't done anything wrong," spokesman Brian Walsh said Sunday.

Ney is at the center of the Justice Department's ongoing corruption probe and was identified by lobbyist Jack Abramoff in his guilty plea earlier this month.

more...

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/US_Congress/Ney_Abramoff.html

Jack Abramoff's $10,000 Question

By ADAM ZAGORIN, MASSIMO CALABRESI

Posted Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006
Lobbyist Jack Abramoff's Oct. 23, 2000, e-mail to his business partner Michael Scanlon was, as usual, not subtle. "Would 10K for NRCC from Suncruz for Ney help?" Scanlon shot back: "Yes, alot ! But would have to give them a definate answer--and they need it this week ..."

That electronic exchange, a record of which was reviewed by TIME, is among the evidence that Republican Congressman Bob Ney of Ohio accepted favors from Abramoff and Scanlon as part of an alleged quid pro quo--a charge to which the business partners each recently confessed in larger plea deals. While the plea agreements spell out various gifts, campaign donations and junkets that Abramoff and Scanlon say they provided to Ney in return for "official acts," the e-mails present in one place the specific elements of a swap that Abramoff has told investigators was prearranged and explicitly reciprocal, according to a source close to the Justice Department probe. To wit: a $10,000 donation to the Republicans just days before Ney inserted into the Congressional Record a statement praising an Abramoff business partner. Ney's lawyer, Mark Tuohey, calls the accusations "totally false."

more...

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1149378,00.html

[Eric J in MN]

1. This would be a good time to get a Verified Voting bill

from committee to the House floor.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Yeah, except the house is on recess

[Eric J in MN]

3. Hmmm. why is Ney even bothering to step down temporarily

while the House is in recess?

[John Q. Citizen]

5. It's Sunday of a 3 day weekend. They want to try and pretend

they are taking care of the few bad apples.

[ProSense]

4. This breaking on CNN (Wonder if an indictment is coming?)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/15/ney.leadership.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[hang a left]

6. check it out

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2043556

[ProSense]

8. Thanks! Wonder what Powell knows. n/t

[hang a left]

7. and check this too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2043549

[ET Awful]

9. Is this going to be as temporary as DeLay stepping down as majority leader

One can hope.

[Sydnie]

10. I hope it doesn't take as long to make it permanent as it did

with Delay. Out, you scurvy bastards!