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Ney on DeLay: "I'm a good friend of his."
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Earth to Rep. Ney: This probably isn’t something to brag about. Rep. Bob Ney and House Majority Leader Tom Delay are a lot alike. They both are part of the Republican partisan crony club. They both have close ties to Washington lobbyist “Casino Jack” Abramoff. They love golf. And they both have some serious ethics questions to answer. If you’re Bob Ney or Tom Delay, government is for sale – if you’re a lobbyist, if you want access, you go to these two. Just look at Ney’s connection to “Casino Jack” Abramoff. The Washington lobbyist wanted an El Paso casino run by the Tigua tribe reopened. So what did he do? He asked Bob Ney for help. And then he steered $30,000 in campaign contributions to Rep. Ney. It’s important to note, Mr. Abramoff was not a registered lobbyist for the Tiqua and that he and Michael Scanlon received over $4 million dollars for their work. [Roll Call, 03/03/05] Bob Ney’s relationship with Jack Abramoff doesn’t end there. Since Ney became Chairman of the House Administration Committee, his congressional campaign and his leadership political action committee, American Liberty PAC have received over $15,000 in contributions from lobbying firms that Jack Abramoff has been associated with, including $3500 from Abramoff personally. [Political Moneyline, www.tray.com] And then there’s the golf. In August 2002, Ney, Abramoff, lobbyist and former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, and then General Services Administration Chief of Staff, David Safavian boarded a chartered jet to St. Andrews, Scotland (with a stopover in London on the way back). Why such a trip you ask? Ney’s spokesperson, Brian J. Walsh claimed the trip was to raise money for the Foundation. However, no fundraising events were cited. And who picked up the tab for the trip? Ney claims the trip was paid for by the National Center for Public Policy Research. Does not compute – the Center denies paying for the trip. And two witnesses confirmed that the group played golf, that’s right, golf, at St. Andrews. [Washington Post, 09/28/04] An when he wasn’t golfing or using Jack Abramoff’s MCI Center Box, Bob Ney was voting to weaken the ethics rules in a bid many believe was to protect his “good friend” Tom Delay. That’s integrity for you. Bob Ney voted with Tom Delay 95 percent of the time from January 1, 2004 to March 31 2005? Surprised? Don’t be. Rep. Ney received $24,492 from Delay’s ARMPAC. Come on, what’s the big deal? Friends take care of friends, right? It’s the Republican way. Instead of chasing campaign contributions and caving to the special interests, maybe Bob Ney should concentrate on working for the hard working individuals and families who sent him to Congress in the first place.