Lee Daniels Spends More on Legal Fees and Puts His House Republican Campaign Committee to Sleep
July 19th former long-time House Republican Leader Lee A. Daniels reported spending $102,400 on legal fees with the firm of Chicago lawyer Thomas Breen.
Breen is defending Victor Reyes, former top mayoral aide to Mayor Richard Daley.
There were two checks, one for $25,000 and the other for the remainder. One wonders if the smaller check was considered inadequate for the task Breen was requested to handle.
Continuing were transfers to the beleaguer House Republican Campaign Committee, which Daniels finally put out of business. He also ended the life of Leaders for a Republican Majority.
The last six months of 2005, Friends of Lee Daniels loaned the HRCC $64,200 in two August installments and in November. The HRCC now owes Friends of Lee Daniels $483,800, which has been spread around to numerous Chicago-area law firms. With the committee out of business, it is obvious the money will never be repaid Daniels’ main campaign fund.
The loans to HRCC began with $185,000 shortly after the November 2000 fall election. This was probably stimulated by Attorney General Jim Ryan’s having turned over time sheet and travel voucher information of Daniels’ state employees to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s Office, which, in turn, had been provided him by attorney Rich Means. Means thought the information showed political operatives working on state time for GOP candidates, including those in McHenry County.
The HRCC money, most written August 8th, went to Chicago lawyers
$8,052.56 for Bryan Cave LLP, August 8thThe HRCC was mentioned, but not identified, in former State Rep. and Daniels’ mail house of choice Roger Stanley’s plea agreement in May 2003 as being “Committee One.”
$2,578.10 for Dykema Gossett Rooks Pitts, August 8th
$5,096.62 for Martin Brown & Sullivan, August 8th
$5,768.75 for Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, August 8th
$18,104.41 for Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, November 22nd
In the same plea agreement, an “Official One” was mentioned. He turned out to be top Daniels’ aide Mike Tristano, who is scheduled to enter into a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on February 15th.
Daniels filed his disclosure forms right before the midnight deadline, thus missing most reporters’ deadlines for today’s papers.
Daniels continued to spend down his main campaign fund, starting July with $349,000 and ending 2005 with $130,000. He raised $224,000, while spending $443,000. Daniels took $600 a month in mileage fees and gave Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Cist $500.
Other good stuff at McHenry County Blog.
3 comments:
Hopefully Mr. Daniels is getting more for his money than a person I know got for his from Tom Breen. Not only was his defense inadequate to say the least (it will certainly be re-tried given the problems with the Major Case Unit here in Springfield) but Mr. Breen actually called his client a very nasty name in court. Add that to the fact that he soaked his client's parents for just about all they had, short of selling their house. Not a very nice man, even for an attorney.
He's one of the next IL-GOP "Big Enchilladas" that will fill the media, compliments of US Atty Patrick Fitzgerald.
Will Victor "the sleazy hog" Reyes pay his legal fees out of the HDO fund.
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