Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) continues to spend heavily on lawyers to defend him from an ongoing House ethics committee investigation into his personal finances.
According to his campaign finance report for the first three months of 2009, Rangel, chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, shelled out nearly $445,000 to cover legal feels.
The bulk of that total went to Zuckerman Spaeder, a Washington, D.C. law firm. Rangel paid more than $340,000 to the firm in the period from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to his FEC report.
The New York Democrat also cut a $100,000 check to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, a Chicago firm.
Rangel—who spent 224,000 on lawyers last year, according to FEC records—still has more than $842,000 in cash in his re-election warchest.
The House ethics committee is investigating Rangel?s personal finances, including whether he improperly used his Ways and Means post to raise money for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College in New York. Rangel has denied any wrongdoing.
