Bob Ney Officially Resigns

Republican House member Bob Ney of Ohio officially resigned from congress on Friday. Ney agreed to plead guilty on September 15 and did so on October 13 on charges of conspiracy and making false statements. He may face upwards of 2 years in prison and $60,000 in fines.

Ney has been linked to the now infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff. According to CNN, Ney helped Abramoff clients by advancing an application of one of their clients for a license to install a wireless telephone infrastructure in the House and placing statements in the Congressional Record regarding a Florida casino deal. In exchange, he and his staff received items including a golf trip to Scotland, meals at restaurants, tickets to sporting events and campaign contributions.

In his resignation letter Ney stated "I am proud of the many accomplishments that have helped improve the lives of people in the 18th Congressional District of Ohio during my tenure of public service. Having completed all outstanding work in my congressional office, I now hereby resign."He made no mention

House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi scolded GOP leader for allowing Ney to collect pay and benefits for several weeks following his admission to guilt. "It is an embarrassment to this institution and an insult to the American taxpayer," she said.

Ney is the fourth Republican to resign from the 109th Congress. The others include: Randal "Duke" Cunningham (CA), former majority leader Tom DeLay (TX), and of course Mark Foley (FL).


My Opinion: Good riddance to bad rubbish. Shame on the GOP for allowing Ney to collect pay and benefits for so long after admitting to corruption. Ney is a disgrace to the House of Representatives, the GOP, and the people of Ohio. I look forward to Tuesday's elections and a Democratic take over of at least the House.