December 12, 2007

Contact: Naomi Seligman Steiner 202.408.5565 nseligman@citizensforethics.org

12 Dec 2007 // Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) advisory opinion request on November 15, 2007 asking for permission to use campaign funds to pay both his and his staff’s legal fees resulting from a Senate Ethics Committee investigation initiated as a result of a Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) complaint. CREW’s complaint, filed on March 5, 2007, asked that the Ethics Committee investigate whether Domenici violated Senate Rules by contacting the U.S. Attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico, David C. Iglesias, and pressuring him about an ongoing corruption probe.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today, "Yet another member of Congress is asking that funds contributed by his supporters for the purposes of paying for electoral expenses be used to defray legal expenses stemming from unethical or illegal activities. The FEC should change its rules to put an end to this practice that makes campaign donors unwitting contributors to legal defense funds."