Rep. Bob Ney’s acknowledgement Friday that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in free vacations won’t affect day-to-day operations on K Street, said the president of the American League of Lobbyists, even as both parties continue to react to fallout from the Jack Abramoff scandal.
“We hope this doesn’t cause panic among members of Congress,” said Paul Miller, ALL’s president. “Whether you agree with it or not, the system works … those who broke the law are going to prison.”
Ney, R-Ohio, agreed Friday to plead guilty to federal criminal charges he made false statements and conspired to commit fraud and violate federal lobbying laws. The Justice Department said prosecutors would recommend that Ney, who also admitted to accepting meals and sports and concert tickets for himself and his staff, serve 27 months in prison based on federal sentencing guidelines.
Ney, who until recently vehemently denied any wrongdoing, is only the latest is a series of individuals impacted by the Abramoff scandal.
His former chief of staff, Neil Volz, confessed in May to conspiring to corrupt the congressman and others with trips and other inducements. Two former congressional aides to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay also submitted guilty pleas recently and DeLay himself resigned from Congress earlier this year.
Ney’s admission immediately solicited a response from Democrats.
“As important as Congressman Ney’s guilty plea is, he is just one figure in the Republican’s far-reaching pay-to-play scheme in which partisan campaign contributions bought access and policy outcomes for favored special interests,” said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton in a statement.
But Republicans say Ney’s admission will have no bearing on the race for his Ohio seat. Ney had announced he would not seek re-election in November prior to his plea. They also point to Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who is at the center of a separate investigation involving alleged bribery, as an example that corruption allegations get hurled at both parties.
“I don’t know that Jack Abramoff is an issue that comes up on very many dinner tables in real America,” said Ed Patru, a spokesman for the National Republic Congressional Committee. “Most people are concerned about local pocket-book issues. They want to know about things that affect their day-to-day lives … As long as there are corrupt Democrats in Congress, this isn’t a campaign issue.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
