46 Facts About Bob Ney

From 2001 to 2006, Bob Ney was Chairman of the House Administration Committee.

Bob Ney was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on July 5,1954, the son of a television cameraman for WTRF-TV.

Bob Ney grew up in Bellaire, Ohio, an industrial town across the Ohio River from Wheeling.

Bob Ney graduated in 1972 from St John's High School in Bellaire.

Bob Ney attended Ohio University Eastern Campus in Belmont County before transferring to Ohio State University in Columbus.

Bob Ney received a Bachelor of Science degree from OSU in 1976.

Bob Ney has two children from a previous marriage, and no children with his second wife, Elizabeth.

Bob Ney served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1981 to 1983.

Bob Ney was defeated in his reelection bid in November 1982.

Bob Ney was appointed to the Ohio Senate in 1984 to replace former state senator Sam Speck, who resigned the 20th District seat to accept a presidential appointment.

Bob Ney won the seat in November 1984 and then re-election in 1988 and 1992.

In November 1994, Bob Ney decided to run for Ohio's 18th congressional district after nine-term incumbent Democrat Douglas Applegate announced his retirement.

Bob Ney went on to win re-election four more times easily without difficult competition in 1998,2000,2002, and 2004.

On January 26,2006, Bob Ney announced his candidacy for re-election to a seventh term.

Later that day, Bob Ney confirmed in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he would not run for re-election to a seventh term, but intended to serve out his term until January 2007.

Bob Ney did not earn a rating in the 90s from the American Conservative Union until 2004.

Bob Ney was known for bucking his party's leadership on issues important to his mostly blue-collar district, such as championing the needs of the beleaguered steel industry.

In 2001, Bob Ney was one of three Republicans to vote against the USA Patriot Act.

In late 2001, Bob Ney introduced the Help America Vote Act for election reform.

Bob Ney gained notoriety when he mandated, as Chairman of the House Administration Committee, that "French fries" be renamed "freedom fries" on House of Representatives food service menus, to indicate displeasure with France's lack of support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In July 2006, after Bob Ney had left the committee, the names were changed back; Bob Ney had no comment.

Bob Ney said in a statement that "At the time I dealt with Jack Abramoff, I obviously did not know, and had no way of knowing, the self-serving and fraudulent nature of Abramoff's activities".

On January 15,2006, Bob Ney resigned as chairman of the House Administration Committee.

Bob Ney maintained that he had done nothing wrong, but had been under increasing pressure to stand down since his ties to Abramoff were an increasing embarrassment in light of Republican plans for reforms of lobbying and campaign finance rules.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert reportedly emailed a Roll Call article regarding Bob Ney's precarious hold on the gavel to several Capitol beat reporters.

Bob Ney is the first member of Congress to admit to criminal charges in the Abramoff investigation, which has focused on the actions of several current and former Republican lawmakers who had been close to the former lobbyist.

Bob Ney announced he was entering inpatient treatment for rehabilitation and was entering a guilty plea to federal corruption charges related to the Abramoff scandal.

Bob Ney admitted to making "serious mistakes" and stated that, after helping people for his entire political career, it was he who needed the help now.

Bob Ney issued a statement saying that he was "ashamed" that he had to end his career as a public servant in such a fashion.

Bob Ney claimed that he had outstanding work to finish in his congressional office.

Bob Ney is implicated in the separate Abramoff SunCruz Casinos scandal.

The conduct alleged is that Bob Ney twice entered statements into the Congressional Record at Scanlon's request in exchange for a $10,000 contribution.

Bob Ney introduced legislation that would allow the Tiguas Indians to reopen their casino after receiving $32,000 in donations to his PAC and campaign from the tribe.

Bob Ney's attorney reported that he found a calendar reference indicating that Bob Ney had had a meeting with the "Taqua".

Abramoff, Scanlon, and Bob Ney had promised the tribe that the provision would win Senate support from Senator Christopher Dodd.

In November 2004, Bob Ney told Senate investigators that "he was not at all familiar with the Tigua" and could not recall meeting with members of the tribe.

Bob Ney refused to make public a copy of documents relating to the agreement.

In January 2006, Newsweek reported that Bob Ney's lawyer confirmed that federal prosecutors have subpoenaed records on an expenses paid February 2003 trip to London that Bob Ney took along with former US lobbyists, Roy Coffee and David DiStefano.

In November 2005, it was reported that Bob Ney had set up a legal defense fund for himself in connection with the Abramoff case.

On November 3,2006, facing an impending expulsion vote, Bob Ney resigned from the House of Representatives by his letter of resignation to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

On January 19,2007, Bob Ney was sentenced to a 30 months in prison, ordered to pay a $6,000 fine and provide 200 hours of community service.

Bob Ney shared a space in the prison with former Survivor star Richard Hatch, a Morgantown inmate serving 51 months for failing to pay taxes.

Bob Ney was released on August 15,2008 after serving 17 months.

The judge barred Bob Ney, an admitted alcoholic, from drinking during his probation and ordered him to undergo counseling.

In March 2013, Bob Ney released his memoir, Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill.

Bob Ney served as political analyst for Talk Media News until ceasing operations in 2020.