WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A federal grand jury in Washington has subpoenaed Rep. Robert Ney, R-Ohio, in connection with its investigation into lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The subpoena -- seeking records and testimony from Ney's office -- was announced on the House floor, since subpoenas delivered to Congress are publicly announced and reported in the Congressional Record, the Washington Post said.
Ney, the chairman of the powerful House Administration Committee, has received campaign contributions and accepted favors from Abramoff -- including dinners at Abramoff's Washington restaurant and a golfing trip to Scotland in August 2002 -- the Post reported.
The paper said Ney promised to bring up legislation to reopen a casino for a Texas Indian tribe that Abramoff represented.
After Ney approved a 2002 license for an Israeli telecommunications company to install antennas for the House, records show the company paid Abramoff $280,000 for lobbying. Records obtained by the Post show the firm donated $50,000 to a charity Abramoff used to hide payments for lobbying activities.
The Post reported last month that federal prosecutors in Florida are investigating Ney in connection with Abramoff's acquisition of the casino boat company, SunCruz Casinos. A grand jury indicted Abramoff and his business partner, Adam Kidan, on fraud charges in August in connection with the purchase.
