9/4/10 7:56 AM
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/04/2010-09-04_rangel_legal_tab_111g__rising.html
Page 1 of 1
http://www.nydailynews.com/fdcp?1283612126244
Embattled Rep. Charles
Rangel's legal tab is
$1.8 million and rising
BY Kathleen Lucadamo
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Saturday, September 4th 2010, 4:00 AM
Warga/NewsRep. Charles Rangel may be reaching into
pockets for some extra cash to use for legal defense.
The party's over for Charlie Rangel, but not the legal
bills.
The embattled Harlem Democrat has forked over
$111,170 to lawyers since July from his campaign
stash, federal filings released Friday show. The bulk
went to fighting 13 ethics charges.
That cash comes from the $403,630 pot of money
he raised this summer, most notably from his 80th
birthday bash at The Plaza which attracted the
Democratic elite.
Rangel's total legal tab from his ethics battle is more
than $1.8 million, a growing expense he
highlighted during his rant on the House floor last
month when he railed against lawmakers who
wanted him to resign rather than fight the charges.
He's not the only one using campaign cash as a
legal defense fund,.
Rep Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) has spent $75,000
of his campaign funds on Dorsey & Whitney, the law
firm representing him in an ongoing FBI probe of
corruption in Queens, the federal data shows.
Gov. Paterson spent $900,000 from his campaign
treasury this year on legal bills to battle three
investigations, including whether he improperly
obtained Yankee tickets.
While politicians coughing up campaign cash for
their legal messes isn't illegal or uncommon,
watchdogs say it's inappropriate.
"The better course is to form a legal defense
committee and raise directly for your legal course,"
said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common
Cause, who notes that President Bill Clinton did this
during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
"Let people know what they are contributing to your
lawyers, not your reelection. People will still
contribute."
With Ben Lesser and Cel