Freedom Lies

Ohio Republican Mike Ney, Superpatriot-Francophobe, stands accused of telling "Freedom Lies" in the Jack Abramoff matter.

Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), the powerful chairman of the House Administration Committee, has attracted the attention of the House ethics committee for his dealings with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, said congressional and lobbying sources with knowledge of the matter.

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Ney has landed in hot water over his decision to try to advance a legislative measure that would help a client of Abramoff's, the Tigua tribe of El Paso, which was hoping that Congress would help it reopen a casino closed by federal court order in early 2002.

Shortly after Ney agreed to help with the issue in spring 2002, the tribe gave him $32,000 in campaign contributions at Abramoff's urging....

"I then asked Jack Abramoff why Senator Dodd was apparently not supporting it and Mr. Abramoff told me that someone had lied to him," Ney said in a statement Nov. 17. "The matter was then closed from my perspective and this provision was not included in the [election reform bill]. At that point, the issue was closed for me.... I, like these Indian tribes and other members of Congress, was duped by Jack Abramoff."

Yet just over a week after that incident, on Aug. 3, 2002, Ney went on a $150,000 golfing trip to Scotland with Abramoff, according to e-mails released at the hearing, and on Aug. 14, five days after returning to the United States, he met with Tigua representatives in his Washington office and reiterated his interest in the measure.

That fall, Ney held a conference call with the Tigua Indians in which he said that Dodd had gone back on his word and nixed their provision from the bill, Tigua representatives testified.

Another spokesman for Ney, Brian Walsh, said Nov. 17 that Ney had no recollection or record of the conference call. He said he could not comment on the August meeting.

Mon Dieu!