Larry Craig racks up legal bills

What exactly has Sen. Larry Craig’s legal team done to deserve almost a half million dollars?

Didn’t the Idaho Republican plead guilty to a disorderly conduct charge last summer in connection with an undercover airport sex sting at the Minneapolis airport - sans legal advice - and subsequently fail at efforts to withdraw his guilty plea?

Apparently, crisis intervention doesn’t come cheap - especially after the fact.

The Washington Post reports today that the bill for Craig’s legal tab through Feb. 13 was $407,000, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission by his campaign committee. After that date, Craig had to pay legal fees out of his own pocket.

It was on Feb. 13 that the Senate Select Committee admonished Craig for his conduct and ruled he could not use campaign contributions for any future defense costs, since his arrest “may not have occurred in connection with your official duties.”

The last legal payment from “Craig for U.S. Senate” - an $80,695 check - went out on Feb. 3 to high-profile criminal defense lawyer Billy Martin, according to the Post. Martin, who recently represented Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick in his dog-fighting case, works for the Washington D.C. law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan.

But Martin was just one member of Craig’s crisis team. Others include PR specialist Judy Smith of Impact Strategies, who has represented clients such as former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and indicted Congressman Rep. William Jefferson; Stanley Brand, a Washington D.C. attorney who represented Major League Baseball in connection with the recent Congressional hearings on ballplayers’ steroid use; as well as Minneapolis attorney Thomas M. Kelly.

Brand told the Post that Craig is now in “full compliance” with the ethics admonishment. “I’m paid in full,” he added, noting that his work for Craig concluded when the committee wrapped up its deliberations.

But Craig is continuing his appeal of a Minnesota court ruling last October that upheld his guilty plea, an effort likely to have a steep price tag.

A 2006 personal financial disclosure form estimated his personal net worth between $365,004 to $750,000. Sounds like he may need every cent.

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