Campaign funds going to legal fees (Delay tops the list at $1,100,000)

[maddezmom]

Source: USA Today

Campaign funds going to legal fees


Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is seen in his Washington office in this December 2006 file photo. Delay has spent more than $1 million in campaign funds on legal fees over the last 30 months.

Two dozen current and former members of Congress caught up in criminal investigations or ethics inquiries spent more than $5 million in campaign funds on legal fees during the last 27 months covered by campaign-finance records.

The spending reflects a spate of scandals that were a factor in the Democratic takeover of Congress last year and, for some lawmakers, remain a problem. Eight current members have been publicly identified as being under investigation.

While campaign donations may not be spent for personal use, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has ruled that fighting to stay out of jail is a legitimate political activity as long as the allegations of wrongdoing relate to conduct in office.

The biggest spender still in Congress is Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, records show. His campaign paid $905,800 to law firms in the last two-year campaign cycle and the first three months of this year, records show. The Justice Department has been investigating his relationships with lobbyists and companies.




Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-17-legal-fees_N.htm?csp=34

---

Lawmakers who spent the most campaign money on legal fees the past 30 months:

Former Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas $1,100,000
Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. $905,800
Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif. $570,000
Former Rep Bob Ney, R-Ohio $518,000
Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. $285,000
Former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. $253,800
Former Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. $160,376
Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif. $149,200
Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va. $140,000
Former Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa. $132,025

[Faux pas]

1. Jeez, business as usual, anything goes. It just never ends. n/t

[Lasher]

2. This doesn't seem to be a complete list.

For example, where's William Jefferson (D)? Tom Feeney (R)? Jane Harman (D)? Gary Miller (R)? Tim Murphy (R)?

Surely these and others have taken advantage of their ability to divert campaign contributions to pay legal fees. Maybe USA Today's research was incomplete.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Members_of_Congress_under_investigation#Past_investigations_into_members_of_Congress

[maddezmom]

3. Jefferson has a seperate fund, not sure about the others

Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., under investigation over bribery allegations, has a separate legal defense fund governed by House rules that has raised $136,000, according to the latest filing.

[133724]

4. turds of a feather shit together...... n/t

[annabanana]

5. I'm sure all the donors are OK with that....

He can't keep them all on the gravy train if he's behind bars after all.

[Roland99]

I remember a couple were rather vocal about not wanting their money to pay his legal bills.

[Gelliebeans]

6. A half of a million smack-a-roos

didn't keep Dukestir out of the pokey and I am sure all those repuke donors to his campaign are thrilled that money went straight down the toilet.

I look at it from another angle; as repubs donate to their favorite candidates sooner or later that ingrained sense of corruption creeps in (it always does) and presto they need to lawyer themselves up to protect their asses instead of buying advertising for their campaigns. This may not be a bad thing? :shrug:

It won't be my money spent on getting them out of jail.

[Thor_MN]

7. When poiliticians are spending more than most of their constituants earn on legal fees

to stay out of prison, there is something wrong with the system.