Congress want details on Gonzo's legal fees

Legal Times:

Congress are urging Attorney General Michael Mukasey to disclose the details of a Justice Department agreement to pay a private attorney to defend his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales, against allegations that he encouraged his subordinates to weigh politics in department hiring.

According to McClatchy, the Justice Department has agreed to pay $200 an hour or $24,000 a month for Gonzales’ attorneys' fees. White & Case’s George Terwilliger III has been representing Gonzales in the Justice Department investigations, but today Schertler & Onorato's Vincent Cohen Jr., Peter Taylor, and Lisa Fishberg filed notice of appearance on Gonzales' behalf.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees, wrote a letter to Mukasey today, asking him to describe the terms of the fee arrangement; to disclose whom in the department approved it and on what basis; and to say whether the department has agreed to cover the legal expenses of other officials named in the lawsuit.

Lawyers from the Justice Department's Civil Division typically represent department employees who are sued in connection with their official actions, but federal regulations allow the department to pay for a private attorney in some circumstances. The department can decline a request for attorney’s fees if the attorney general “determines that the employee’s actions do not reasonably appear to have been performed within the scope of his employment” or that “representation is not in the interest of the United States.”