The head attorney for the Federal Election Commission says U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici can use campaign funds to pay legal bills stemming from an inquiry into his October 2006 phone call to former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.
The attorney issued a draft opinion on Wednesday stating that Domenici can use campaign funds to pay both his legal bills and those of staffers who needed an attorney as a result of the inquiry.
You can read the draft opinion, which was made available online by the Washington Times, by clicking here. It essentially states that precedent allows the use of campaign funds to pay legal fees because the expenses aren’t considered personal.
The opinion remains in draft form because four seats on the six-member FEC board are vacant, so there’s no quorum to approve it. A partisan fight in
The ethics inquiry into Domenici’s actions came after Iglesias alleged last year that the senator pressured him during the October 2006 phone call to speed indictments in a case involving high-ranking Democrats to sway voters in the November 2006 election.
Iglesias was fired weeks later, he claims as a result of refusing the pressure. Domenici admits the call but insists he didn’t pressure Iglesias.
The FEC has approved the use of campaign funds for legal expenses incurred by members of Congress in the past. Domenici has almost $2 million on-hand in his campaign fund.
Though there was a report in October that the inquiry into Domenici’s call would end, it has not officially been terminated. Domenici announced in early October that he is retiring this year because of an incurable brain disease.