Dems Sending Tainted Money Back To Boston Law Firm

Senator Al Franken of Minnesota is the latest high-profile Democrat to return money to a Boston law firm that was the subject of an investigation by the Boston Globe and the Center for Responsive Politics. Allegations are that donations given in the name of attorneys at the Thornton Law Firm were reimbursed by the firm. In a recent article about the matter from the Center for Responsive Politics, Brett Kappel, an election law expert at Akerman LLP, a Washington, D.C. law firm, says the allegations in this case, “if proven, would make this one of the largest reimbursement cases in U.S. history, if not the largest — both in terms of the total amount of money involved and the length of time over which the scheme was carried out.” The Thornton firm’s defense is that the money in question came from equity holders and was not a reimbursement, but rather was taken out of the individual attorney’s own capital account. The Federal Election Commission and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston are investigating. Meanwhile, Franken has turned over more than $40,000 in donations to the U.S. Treasury. Others who have similarly relinquished funds include the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Hillary Clinton, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.