Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) has hired a law firm and is setting up a legal defense fund in response to the probe into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The Hill newspaper said Ney hired the Vinson & Elkins firm to represent him before the Justice Department and the House ethics committee. So far, he has paid the firm $136,000.
Ney has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury as part of the Abramoff probe and faces an ethics inquiry over his connections to the former tribal lobbyist. On more than one occasion he worked to benefit Abramoff's clients and interests, including a failed attempt to insert a rider into an elections bill that would have helped the Tigua Tribe of Texas reopen its casino.
Ney says he is cooperating fully with the grand jury and House ethics probes.
Get the Story:Ney sets up defense fund on Abramoff (The Hill 11/8) Relevant Links:
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