WASHINGTON – Rep. Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican implicated in a lobbying corruption investigation, said Sunday he will step aside temporarily as chairman of the House Administration Committee.
“Unfortunately it has become clear to me in recent days that the false allegations made against me have become a distraction to the important work of the House Republican Conference and the important work that remains ahead for the House Administration Committee,” Ney said in a written statement.
That was a reference to a scramble by Republicans in the House and Senate to come up with a new set of rules governing lobbying and travel in the wake of the scandal unfolding around the guilty plea of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Democrats are offering their own plan this week.
Ney is at the center of the Justice Department’s ongoing corruption probe and has been identified as the congressman referenced by Abramoff in his guilty plea earlier this month.
Ney’s decision comes as three House Republicans are waging a spirited campaign to replace Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas as majority leader. DeLay was forced to step aside after he was indicted by a state grand jury in Texas for alleged violation of campaign finance laws.
DeLay also is a longtime friend of Abramoff, and some of DeLay’s former aides have been charged in the Abramoff investigation.
The Administration Committee that Ney led controls disclosures of lobbying practices and would be a key part of efforts to reform the system.
A GOP leadership aide said Friday that House Speaker Dennis Hastert was pressuring Ney to step aside because he believes it would be inappropriate for him to lead the committee with jurisdiction over the Republican reform agenda.
Ney’s statement Sunday said he had notified Hastert earlier in the day of his decision.
“I want to assure my colleagues and my constituents that I have done absolutely nothing wrong, and I am convinced that I will be vindicated completely at the end of this difficult process,” Ney said.
Ney will maintain his chairmanship of a housing subcommittee, said his spokesman, Brian Walsh.
Court papers released as part of Abramoff’s plea to charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and income tax evasion detailed lavish gifts and contributions that Abramoff says he gave an unnamed House member, identified elsewhere as Ney.
Abramoff said the congressman took favors including a 2002 golf trip to Scotland, free dinners and events and campaign donations in exchange for his support of Abramoff’s American Indian tribe clients in Texas and the lobbyist’s purchase of a fleet of Florida casino boats.
Ney is also accused, as chairman of the Administration Committee, of approving a lucrative deal for an Abramoff client to improve cell phone reception in House buildings.
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