Another day, another corrupt Republican's indictment/guilty plea.
TPM Muckraker is reporting:
Volz, Ney's former chief of staff, admits to receiving all sorts of bribes while he was still with Ney, and then turning around and taking part in the bribing once he moved over to work with Abramoff.
In the last few weeks we've learned that Bob Ney denied federal investigators' desire (once again) to extend the statute of limitations on Ney's actions. But we also learned that investigators are now leaning towards a less specific charge of conspiracy. (A conspiracy charge would only be limited to the very last act within said conspiracy, which remains within the requisite time-frame.) This is also the same charge which Rudy, Volz and others have pled guilty to; "to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive the citizens of the US/US Congress of the right of the honest services of public officials..."
More on Ney, Volz and things to come in extended.
The
Volz plea sheds new light on Ney's questionable actions:
On or about March 20, 2002, Rudy and Abramoff, after consulting with defendant Volz, solicited and received Representative #1's (Ney's) agreement to insert into election law reform (HAVA), during the Conference Committee's consideration of that legislation, an amendment lifting a gaming ban for Texas Tribe #1 (the Tiguas).
On or about August 8, 2002, Abramoff coordinated with Texas Tribe #1 to cause a $50,000 check from another Native American Tribe in Texas (Alabama-Coushattas of Texas) to be sent to CAF (Capital Athletic Foundation) by commercial mail carrier to help fund a golf trip to Scotland for Representative #1 and his staff.
In or about August 2003, defendant Volz paid for part of a two-night trip to the Sagamore Resort at Lake George, NY, for Representative #1 and members of his staff. [At this point, Volz was a lobbyist working with Abramoff and not a member of Ney's staff.] Defendant Volz assured Representative #1 that defendant Volz would be reimbursed for his payments by Abramoff.
The plea also mentions, on two instances when Volz worked with Abramoff, Volz providing Ney with information for Ney to disclose in meetings with various Abramoff clients.
Volz could get as much as five years, less depending on his level of cooperation with investigators.
The Ney camp's spin:
Ney's office issued a defiant statement saying "the congressman is more confident than ever that he will be vindicated" in the investigation. "The Department of Justice has now appeared in federal court four times and has been unable to even allege that Congressman Ney was bribed," said Ney spokesman Brian Walsh.
Actually, that's untrue on its face. Each time Abramoff and his associates (Scanlon, Rudy & Volz) have pled guilty Ney has been named as a participant.
The court papers identify at least eight other actions by Ney on behalf of Abramoff, including meeting with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in order to assist Abramoff's clients, by telling the HUD secretary that one of Ney's priorities would be housing for native Americans.
Back in January, a fellow Republican Rep. McCrery said that he believes Ney will be indicted. Ney maintains his innocence, something increasingly suspect as plea after plea mentions Ney's knowing involvement. Ney won the Republican primary a short time ago and plans to run even if he's indicted.
In January of this year, Ney told The Hill:
“I’m running -- if I’m indicted, I’m running.”
Either Ney is oblivious or places grand faith in his district's voting machines.
He'll face
Zack Space in Novemeber.
A recent Rothenberg Report noted that OH-18 is currently a toss-up/tilt Democratic. OH-18 is fastly becoming a great pick-up opportunity as Ney continues to be harmed by his ties to Abramoff.