Republican leaders spent nearly $18,000 in legal fees for attorneys to represent House employees questioned in case, new report says
LANSING – GOP legislative leaders have found a new low as they brazenly spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on legal fees for attorneys to represent state House workers questioned as part of the long-running investigation into disgraced former Republican Speaker Lee Chatfield.
Nearly $18,000 has already been paid to attorneys to provide legal services for House employees contacted by investigators looking into a range of criminal allegations from Chatfield’s time in office. Details of that investigation, laid out this week in a stunning report by The Detroit News, include allegations that Chatfield operated a “criminal enterprise” along with potential “embezzlement, bribery, campaign finance violations and controlled substances.”
“Using tens of thousands of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to provide legal cover to those caught up in the criminal investigation of Lee Chatfield is an absolute betrayal of the public trust,” said Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. “This is not what Michigan tax dollars should go toward. It’s time for Republican leadership to put an end to this and provide true accountability to the voters.”
House Speaker Jason Wentworth and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey continue to cover for Chatfield’s alleged efforts to benefit himself during his time in elected office, Barnes said. Instead, they should be providing answers to their constituents about the ways taxpayer money is being used now and during Chatfield’s disastrous tenure, she said.
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