The Los Angeles Times has a profile up of Rep. Bob Ney, the Republican Congressman who allegedly traded trips and other benefits from disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff in return for help with legislation. Here are six things about Bob Ney to know and learn:
- Ney is the first member of Congress accused of directly trading gifts for legislative favors with Abramoff. “He is identified simply as “Representative #1″ in a Jan. 3 plea agreement between Abramoff and federal prosecutors.”
- In his position as chairman of the Administration Committee, which controls congressional office budgets, he was known as the “mayor of Capitol Hill” — until he was forced to resign last week.
- A former Ohio legislator, two of Ney’s former legislative aides in Ohio became lobbyists and went to jail for bribery after Ney went to Washington.
- He is known as “Bobby.”
- He taught English in Iran before the Revolution, and is the only member of Congress who speaks Farsi.
- He is the idiot who forced the Capitol’s food service to change the name of French fries to “freedom fries” during the run-up to the war in Iraq — a high point in Republican low culture.
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