For Immediate Release: January 4, 2006
Contact: Ned Wigglesworth

Watchdog Calls For Ohio Congressman Bob Ney's Immediate Resignation

With Jack Abramoff's guilty plea, two men have now admitted to bribing Representative Bob Ney of Ohio with campaign contributions, golfing trips, and other gifts and services in return for favorable action by Rep. Ney on behalf of them and their clients. In light of Ney's actions and the forthcoming indictment against him on charges of bribery and corruption, campaign watchdog TheRestofUs.org called on Representative Ney to resign from Congress immediately.

"Again and again, Representative Ney chose to act not in the interests of his constituents in Ohio, but in the interests of insider lobbyists and their deep-pocketed clients," said Derek Cressman, director for TheRestofUs.org. "At best, he was duped into doing so; at worst, he sold his constituents down the river for campaign contributions and the jet-setting life. Either way, he has breached the duties of his office that he swore to uphold, and should resign immediately. The standard for holding public office in this country should not be 'conviction pending'."

The Justice Department has discovered at least eight separate occasions where Ney used his office to further the interest of Abramoff or his lobbying clients, including making favorable statements in the Congressional Record to aid Abramoff's position in a contract negotiation, granting a government wireless contract to an Abramoff client, and voting on legislation which favored some of Abramoff's clients.

According to a recent AP/Ipsos poll, 88% of Americans think corruption in Congress is a serious problem. According to a recent CNN/Gallup poll, 49% of Americans think that most members of Congress are corrupt.

"Bob Ney is not the only member of Congress to relegate the people of his district to second class status as constituents," said Ned Wigglesworth, analyst for TheRestofUs.org. "Democrats and Republicans alike have thrown in their lot with the wealthy interests in this country at the expense of the rest of us, understandably destroying the faith of regular Americans in our government. Without fairer campaign finance laws, we can expect to see a parade of Bob Neys each and every election."

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TheRestofUs.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog group working to reduce the influence of big money in politics. The group has called for the resignations of only two officials prior to Rep. Ney - former California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, a Democrat, and former Congressman Duke Cunningham, a Republican. Both have resigned.