NEWSPAPER ADS HIGHLIGHT REP. BOB NEY'S CORRUPTION BY LOBBYISTS

Zanesville, OH – The Campaign for America's Future, joined by Ohioans for a Cleaner Congress, is launching an ad campaign in Rep. Bob Ney's district attacking the Congressman for his close relationship with Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Indian gambling interests seeking legislative favors.

"Bob Ney is Betting You Don't Care" is the title of the full-page ad that will run tomorrow in the Zanesville Times Recorder, and Chillicothe Gazette. The ad details the allegations that have been raised about a series of questionable activities by Rep. Ney on behalf of special interests from outside his district. The ads call for an independent investigation into Rep. Ney's activities.

"Why does Bob Ney spend so much time working on behalf of interests that have nothing to do with his constituents in Ohio? Why has he spent so much time helping an Indian tribe in Texas open a casino? The people of Ohio have lost hundreds of thousands of jobs in the last decade and they're struggling to make ends meet. What's Bob Ney doing to help them?" asked Ellen Miller, deputy director of Campaign for America's Future.

One of Rep. Ney's constituents, Becky Sheline, a lifelong resident of Zanesville, announced the formation of Ohioans for a Clean Congress. "Bob Ney has been my Congressman as long as he has been in office, but he has shown us recently that no longer represents the people of southeast Ohio. Instead, he spends his time representing the interests of lobbyists and big-money special interest groups. They fund his campaigns and take him on lavish trips around the world that have nothing to do with the issues affecting us back home," said Sheline, a mother of 2 who works two jobs. "I'm starting Ohioans for a Cleaner Congress because I'm fed up with Rep. Ney's unethical behavior and with his refusal to answer the questions of his constituents about the business his doing on behalf of people outside our district."

Campaign for America's Future released a full report on Rep. Ney's activities, including a detailed review of the history of his relationship with Jack Abramoff, a review of Ney's travel, a review of his largest campaign contributors, and review of his legislative record.

The ads and the report are available at www.ourfuture.org [2]

"In the most corrupt Congress in recent memory, Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) exemplifies, as few others do, the mercenary culture of Washington," said Miller. "This Washington—not the seat of a representative government, but the home of the best government money can buy—is typified by lobbyists who push the self interests of their clients (or their own personal financial well being) by making campaign contributions to lawmakers to influence their actions in Congress, by urging their clients to do likewise, and by providing luxurious travel opportunities in order to persuade them to introduce amendments, legislation, or make statements in the Congressional record. There is no better example of how this works in the current Congress than the case of Rep. Bob Ney. What the unseemly details reveal is that he's become enmeshed in today's pay-to-play politics. As the Wall Street Journal opined regarding Majority Leader Tom DeLay, "'He smells just like the Beltway, itself,'" said Miller.

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Media representatives interested in obtaining a copy of the transcript from today's teleconference can download it (PDF) here [3].