"He is, in the guarded language of criminal indictments, "Representative #1." His former chief of staff has pleaded guilty to conspiring to corrupt the congressman's official actions, accepting gifts and trips to sway the lawmaker while still a Hill staffer and then, as a lobbyist, plying the congressman with more such goodies in exchange for his help. So, naturally, when Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) announced yesterday that he would not -- contrary to earlier vows -- seek reelection, he cited his family. "I must think of them first, and I can no longer put them through this ordeal," Mr. Ney said in a statement.

Mr. Ney might have thought of his family earlier -- before, say, he hopped aboard lobbyist Jack Abramoff's chartered jet for an all-expenses-paid golf trip to Scotland. Or before he accepted, according to the guilty plea of his former chief of staff, Neil G. Volz, "regular food and drink at Abramoff's restaurants; numerous tickets to sporting events and concerts in luxury suites at the MCI Center, Camden Yards Stadium, and FedEx Field; and use of those suites during sporting events and concerts for campaign fundraisers."

Or before Mr. Ney, "in exchange for this stream of things of value," according to court documents, tried to insert a provision for one of Mr. Abramoff's tribal clients into a voting reform measure; secured a cellular telephone contract with the House of Representatives for another Abramoff client; helped the relative of a Russian client of the lobbyist obtain a visa; and met with the housing secretary to boost another Abramoff client."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Representative #1 Steps Aside (The Washington Post 8/8)
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Senate Indian Affairs Committee Abramoff Report:
�GIMME FIVE�� INVESTIGATION OF TRIBAL LOBBYING MATTERS (June 2006)

Exhibits:
Pre-2001 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | Undated | Finance

Relevant Links:
Rep. Bob Ney - http://ney.house.gov
Ney for Congress - http://www.bobney.org

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