By Ian Millhiser
Earlier this year, Speaker John Boehner’s (R) office announced that American taxpayers would pay former Bush Solicitor General Paul Clement to defend the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act — at a cost of $520 per hour of legal work. Clement’s original contract, however, included a $500,000 cap on the amount Clement could charge the United States to help protect discrimination. Less than six months later, Clement appears to have blown through that cap, and the House GOP now anticipates that he will take another $1 million from the American people:
The [House of Representatives] agrees to pay [Clement's law firm] for all services to be rendered pursuant to this Agreement a sum not to exceed $750,000.00. It is further understood and agreed that, effective October 1, 2011, the aforementioned $750,000 cap may be raised from time to time up to, but not exceeding, $1.5 million, upon written notice of the [House] to the [firm].
Clement is one of the nation’s top litigators, so Boehner has certainly not spared any expense in ensuring that unconstitutional discrimination against gay couples receives the best legal team available. The same cannot be said, however, for programs that actually benefit the American people. At the same time that the House GOP is writing enormous checks to keep anti-gay discrimination alive, they are pushing sharp cuts to education, job training and health care. In other words, John Boehner’s plan is to create lucrative jobs for hard-right attorneys, and leave the rest of the nation out in the cold.
