Why Mel Martinez Is Out

Senator Mel Martinez announced he will not seek a second term. That is not surprising. Martinez has had trouble funraising because of scrutiny into his campaign contributions. Jack Abramoff set up a meeting between Martinez and Bob "Freedom Fries" Ney. The meeting took place when Martinez was Se. of HUD.

Ney told Martinez that his "number one priority as the newly installed Chairman of the Housing Subcommittee was Native American Indian Tribal housing," according to the plea.

What makes matters worse is Martinez received $250 thousand from an Abramoff funraiser. Ney told the FBI about the meeting.

On repeated occasions in 2002 and 2003, NEY contacted personal in the Executive Branch agencies and offices in an effort to influence decisions of those agencies and offices at the request of Abramoff and his lobbyists, including advancing the interests of Abramoff's Indian Tribal clients to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") in a meeting in or about January 2003, when NEY told the HUB Secretary that NEY's number one priority as the newly installed Chairman of the Housing Subcommittee was Native American Tribal housing.

Ney pleaded guilty taking influence peddling. Abramoff gave Ney expensive meals, vacation trips and even casino gambling chips. Martinez's Bush connection is politically crippling. The Ney and Abramoff are a death blow.