Ohio congressman in spotlight in Abramoff probe

As low-profile as his duties might seem to be, Ney appears to face serious legal problems. He has a legal defense fund and has hired well-known Washington defense attorney, Mark Tuohey, a former deputy in Independent Counsel Ken Starr's criminal investigation of the Clintons.

Ney's relationship with Abramoff may end up hurting him on the political front back home, where Democrats hope to mount a strong challenge to the six-term congressman. He won reelection by a 2-to-1 margin in 2004.

''There's absolutely no question we're going after this seat; I think we can take it," said Susan Gwinn, the Democratic Party chairwoman for Athens County, Ohio.

''I would love to see a close race," said Roxanne Groff, a Democrat who lost to Ney in a 1992 state Senate campaign.

Among the candidates are Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer, a Vietnam veteran. Sulzer is running on a platform of returning ethics to Ney's eastern Ohio district.

''Given what has come out, it seems very likely that Bob Ney would draw a strong opponent," said a University of Akron political science professor, John Green

The notoriety Ney faces raises another question: Who else is in the prosecutors' sights? One man who may have some answers is Michael Scanlon, a former partner in Abramoff's lobbying firm.

Scanlon, a former aide to Representative Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas, has become a government witness in the Abramoff case. He pleaded guilty Monday to having conspired to bribe officials.

But for now, Ney is Exhibit A. Three pages in the court papers in Scanlon's guilty plea Monday itemize things of value to Ney.

Ney has responses. Among them, he said he was misled by Abramoff about who was paying for a trip to Scotland. Ney said ''I was told" that a conservative policy group was footing the bill.