DWT "founding felon" Bob Ney busts out of the Big House (but his "hair" may have to serve the full 30-month sentence)

by Ken

It was only in February 2007 that Howie was wishing former Ohio Rep. Bob Ney -- one of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff's tightest House cronies (and the patriot who gave the world "freedom fries") -- well in his next venture, prison:

"Although I think a 30 month sentence for his bribery conviction is a tiny fraction of what he should get, I'm glad to see that he will get at least some prison time before Bush pardons him and the rest of the gang of congressional corruption on his way out the door."

Well, our Bob didn't have to serve those 30 months. Howie called my attention to the news that he was in fact set to be released today.

It's hard for us at DownWithTyranny not to mist up at the news that our Bob is back on the outside. He was one of the people who played a big role in making DWT what it is, back in the days when Howie was making the biggest stink he could about the pervasive corruption being practiced -- with a casualness bordering on brazenness -- by congressional Republicrooks in positions of power on committees that controlled major streams of funding, and he took a special interest in the Ohio state Republican Party, which had turned into a virtual crime syndicate (leading eventually to the resignation of the governor and the election of a Democratic governor, the reelection defeat of one of its U.S. senators, and a widespread housecleaning of Ohio GOP officeholders).

As the insatiably greedy chairman of the House Administration Committee and a product of that Ohio Republican crime machine, our Bob frolicked at the intersection of these axes of Republicrookery. Luckily for our Bob, opportunities for influence peddling seem to have been far more limited in the Big House, and he's getting off early for "good behavior," as Kate Klonick reported earlier this week for Talking Points Memo:

Former Rep. Ney to Be Released from Halfway House,
Take Job As Radio Commentator

After serving 17-months of a 30-month federal sentence for accepting bribes from disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Ohio Rep. Bob Ney (R), is set to be released on Saturday.

Time was taken off Ney's sentence upon completion of an alcohol rehabilitation program while at a minimum security prison, where he was first assigned before being sent to a half-way house in February of this year.

So what is a disgraced former U.S. represenative to do after nearly a year and half in the federal pen.?

Radio commentary of course!

From The Wheeling News-Register:

As a condition of his stay in the halfway house, Ney was required to work at a job. He was hired by his friend, Ellen Ratner, bureau chief for the Talk Radio News Service, who confirmed in March to a Capitol Hill newspaper that Ney was doing research for the news network.

But Ney was prohibited by federal regulations from being on-air until his release. Ratner indicated she planned to use him as a political contributor after he was placed on probation.

Interestingly, Talk Radio News is a media company with a liberal bent, quite the change for the former Republican congressman.

There's no word as to whether our Bob's "hair" -- or whatever that stuff is he's got on top of his head -- is being released at the same time or will have to serve the full sentence.

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