Convicted GOP Rep Asks Friends for Favor

A friend in need is a friend indeed. So if you’re buddies with Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), now’s the time to show it.

Ney, who pled guilty to bribery charges last month, is scheduled to receive his sentence January 19th. The prosecutors have recommended he serve 27 months of not-so-hard time. Like Jack Abramoff, he would likely serve it in a minimum security prison.

But Ney’s lawyers want as much leniency as possible so they’ve written to Ney’s friends and colleagues, asking them to write to the judge about “your feelings about Bob’s character, his work for his constituents in Ohio, his work on national issues, his integrity, his dedication to public service, and anything else that you think will give the judge a full understanding of who Bob is and the work he has done.”

Letters like these can indeed help at a sentencing — but so does taking responsibility for your crime, which Ney (like former administration official David Safavian, who was also convicted of charges related to the Abramoff investigation) has shown no indication of doing.