In Life After Prison, Abramoff-Linked Bob Ney Utilizes Rival of Top Campaign Contributor UPS to Vote Absentee
By Michael Beckel on November 20, 2010 10:39 AM
Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) might be forgiven for wanting to shy away from U.S. politics and focus on his own inner peace.
Ney -- the first and only member of Congress to serve jail time in connection to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal -- is currently studying Buddhist mediation techniques under the guidance of the Dalai Lama in northern India after serving 17 months in a federal prison in West Virginia, according to the National Journal.
But that didn't stop him from taking a moment to mindfully cast a ballot in this year's midterm election.
“I did vote this year by absentee ballot,” Ney recently told the National Journal, “with the help of FedEx.”
Notably, while Ney was a member of Congress, FedEx's chief rival -- United Parcel Service -- was one of Ney's top campaign contributors.
UPS' political action committee and employees donated $39,900 to Ney's campaign efforts between the 1994 and 2006 election cycles. Ney was first elected in 1994 and resigned in 2006 amid investigations into corruption allegations against him.
Ney only received $8,250 from FedEx's PAC and employees during the same period.
Ney also received an additional $1,000 to his leadership PAC from FedEx during the 2004 election cycle, a committee to which UPS never contributed.
Ney isn't alone in relying more on UPS than on FedEx.
The individual employees and PACs associated with UPS have contributed $25.1 million to federal candidates and committees since 1989, including $1.9 million during the current election cycle. Their counterparts at FedEx, meanwhile, have made $18.5 million in federal-level political donations, with this $960,500 coming during the 2010 election cycle.
Ney, the former chairman of the House Administration Committee, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two criminal charges stemming from his dealings with Abramoff.
These charges were conspiracy to defraud the government and making false statements after "corruptly solicited and accepted a stream of benefits, valued at tens of thousands of dollars, in exchange for agreeing to perform, and performing, a series of official acts," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
During his political career, Ney also received $22,000 from the National Association of Letter Carriers, who, granted, probably don't service much of the Himalayas
By Michael Beckel on November 20, 2010 10:39 AM
Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) might be forgiven for wanting to shy away from U.S. politics and focus on his own inner peace.
Ney -- the first and only member of Congress to serve jail time in connection to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal -- is currently studying Buddhist mediation techniques under the guidance of the Dalai Lama in northern India after serving 17 months in a federal prison in West Virginia, according to the National Journal.
But that didn't stop him from taking a moment to mindfully cast a ballot in this year's midterm election.
“I did vote this year by absentee ballot,” Ney recently told the National Journal, “with the help of FedEx.”
Notably, while Ney was a member of Congress, FedEx's chief rival -- United Parcel Service -- was one of Ney's top campaign contributors.
UPS' political action committee and employees donated $39,900 to Ney's campaign efforts between the 1994 and 2006 election cycles. Ney was first elected in 1994 and resigned in 2006 amid investigations into corruption allegations against him.
Ney only received $8,250 from FedEx's PAC and employees during the same period.
Ney also received an additional $1,000 to his leadership PAC from FedEx during the 2004 election cycle, a committee to which UPS never contributed.
Ney isn't alone in relying more on UPS than on FedEx.
The individual employees and PACs associated with UPS have contributed $25.1 million to federal candidates and committees since 1989, including $1.9 million during the current election cycle. Their counterparts at FedEx, meanwhile, have made $18.5 million in federal-level political donations, with this $960,500 coming during the 2010 election cycle.
Ney, the former chairman of the House Administration Committee, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two criminal charges stemming from his dealings with Abramoff.
These charges were conspiracy to defraud the government and making false statements after "corruptly solicited and accepted a stream of benefits, valued at tens of thousands of dollars, in exchange for agreeing to perform, and performing, a series of official acts," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
During his political career, Ney also received $22,000 from the National Association of Letter Carriers, who, granted, probably don't service much of the Himalayas
