Congressman Ney: untrue accusations forced him to hire lawyers

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1129754642232151.xml&storylist=cleveland

10/19/2005, 5:52 p.m. ET
By DAVID HAMMER
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Bob Ney's campaign spent about $136,000 on legal work in the past six months, an unusually high amount that the Ohio Republican says was necessary to defend himself against false allegations of favoritism toward an indicted lobbyist's clients.

Ney's re-election campaign paid the law firm of Vinson & Elkins $135,881 on Aug. 2, more than half of the $250,770 the campaign spent between July 1 and Sept. 30.

Ney hired the firm six months ago over his connections to Jack Abramoff, a high-powered Republican lobbyist indicted on federal corruption and fraud charges who has since been linked to charges against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

"There are a lot of unfounded allegations that have been raised," said Ney's lead lawyer, Mark Tuohey. The attorney also said Ney has received no indication from federal authorities that he is under investigation...

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2168299>

you get dirty. Get used to being lawyered up. You might as well check out orange jump suits while you are at it. Bye, Bob.

:sarcasm:

Happily, the charges were so unfounded that his lawyer simply filed a motion to dismiss them, and that was it.

No, wait, that didn't happen!

.. to some a them Republiquors, anybody what has got to pay real money to one a them lawyers is just downright guilty. But I'm guessin we ain't gonna be hearin much about how evil trial lawyers is, at least until election time rolls around agin ...

And I do mean "PAY BACK". Just think about all these repukes that are lawyering up. All that money is being "PAY BACK"!

why not an Ohio based firm? Why this firm - pretty interesting small, tight circle ... among texans (remember Ney's DeLay connection). Interesting....

Interesting, huh?

How quaint.

commenced?

investigators.

Connections drawn between Ney and indicted lobbyist
10/19/2005, 7:47 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — ...

• Ney started helping Abramoff clients in 2000, when the congressman entered comments on the Congressional Record against a man who was standing in the way of Abramoff's plans to purchase gambling boats in Florida. Four months later, the man was murdered and Ney has since said he was duped by Abramoff.

• Ney took a golf trip to Scotland in 2002 that Abramoff sponsored. House members are allowed to accept trips from outside groups but not from lobbyists. Ney said in March that Abramoff told him a GOP policy group paid for the trip. The group said it didn't pay for the trip, and tax records subsequently showed Abramoff's charity paid for it. Ney has denied any wrongdoing.

• In private e-mails released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Abramoff said he had convinced Ney to attach language to an election reform bill to help a Texas Indian tribe re-open a closed casino. That bill passed without the language and Ney has denied any wrongdoing, but records show the Texas tribe, the Tiguas, donated to Ney's re-election campaign after Abramoff's e-mail. In another e-mail, Abramoff told a Tigua representative that "our friend" had asked them to pay for the Scotland trip. The tribal representative, Marc Schwartz, later testified to the Senate that "our friend" referred to Ney.

• Ney's committee awarded a $3 million license to an Israeli telecommunications company to outfit the U.S. House with equipment for better indoor wireless telephone reception. LGC Wireless of San Jose, Calif., which was passed over for the license, alleges they lost an almost-certain deal when the Israeli company, then called Foxcom Wireless, hired top GOP lobbyists. Abramoff's firm was not listed as Foxcom's lobbyist until after the license was awarded, but LGC vice president John Spindler points to reports that Foxcom donated $50,000 to Abramoff's charity during the selection process as proof that Abramoff lobbied the deal. Ney spokesman Brian Walsh said Ney ran an open bidding process that went beyond what was required and that the chairman never met with Abramoff about Foxcom.

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1129766042183190.xml&storylist=cleveland

snooping and accessing electronic communications all courtesy of the Patriot Act he loves so much.

snip>
The attorney also said Ney has received no indication from federal authorities that he is under investigation...
snip>

n/t

and they're the ones who wouldn't let themselves endorse Kerry,so they didn't endorse anyone,except with Bush-slanted coverage.

http://www.cleveland.com/editorials/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1129800800298661.xml&coll=2

Bob and Jack-
Congressman Ney's cozy relationship with D.C. lobbyist is all about one hand washing the other - in dirty water

Thursday, October 20, 2005

There's a bad smell wafting up from Ohio's 18th Congressional District, the foul air of a congressman sweaty from carrying a lobbyist's baggage, fearing where he's carried it, and refusing to come clean about the relationship.

Bob Ney, the six-term Republican from Licking County, has some explaining to do about his mutually profitable labors for Jack Abramoff, as sleazy a cover-all-the-angles lobbyist as infests Washington.

When Jack wanted someone to bad-mouth a business enemy in the Congressional Record, Bob happily obliged...

But now the businessman whom Ney badmouthed is dead of a mob-type hit; Abramoff has been charged with fraud in the deal; his Ney-praised partner's associate is charged in the killing; federal investigators are deep into a wide inquiry. And Ney has retained a high-priced Washington lawyer to speak for him - when he chooses to, which he has not recently done...