Abramoff Figure Rep. Ney to Plead Guilty
Ney, an Ohio Republican in his sixth term, faces up to 10 years in prison in a scandal that has tainted the White House as well as Capitol Hill.
With Republicans reeling from the House page scandal, the Abramoff investigation and growing public discontent over President Bush's handling of the Iraq war, some of Ney's House colleagues are threatening to push for his expulsion if he does not resign.
Ney, scheduled enter his plea Friday, signed papers a month ago admitting to charges of conspiracy and making false statements. He also acknowledged that he had deprived the public of his honest services.
About the same time, Ney checked into an alcohol rehabilitation program. If he enters a residential drug abuse program run by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, he could be eligible for a reduced sentence.
Despite his admission of criminal activity, Ney, 52, is entitled to collect a congressional pension.
In April, the House passed legislation that would have taken away congressional pensions of any lawmaker convicted of the conspiracy charge contained in the court papers that Ney signed. But the Senate- passed bill did not contain the pension provision, and the two chambers never reached a compromise.
During his time in Congress, Ney built up goodwill back home for his responsiveness and visibility in a sprawling, conservative region of mines, farms and Rust Belt towns in eastern Ohio.
The recently filed court papers note that Abramoff, the other lobbyists on his team and their clients had no connection to Ney's congressional district, other than the lawmaker himself. "None of whom were Ohio-based," the court documents note.
Ney's former chief of staff Neil Volz, who left Capitol Hill to work with Abramoff, pleaded guilty in May to charges that he conspired to corrupt his former boss and others.
Two former aides to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, also have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. Abramoff also has pleaded guilty. All have been cooperating with federal prosecutors.
Ney's court appearance come two weeks after it was revealed that Abramoff's lobbying team had 485 contacts in three years with White House aides. The tally by a House committee was based on records House investigators obtained from 13 of 24 Abramoff clients.
A week ago, a top aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove resigned amid questions over her links to Abramoff. Susan Ralston left after the House committee reported that she apparently accepted tickets to sporting events from Abramoff without reimbursing him.
In June, former White House official David Safavian, who had been the Bush administration's top procurement official, was convicted of covering up his dealings with Abramoff. He is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 27.
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Associated Press writer David Hammer contributed to this report.
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