The Hill News

House Democrats are pushing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) for information regarding the contract between House Republicans and the lawyer hired to defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

Reps. Robert Brady (D-Pa.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) sent a letter to Boehner Wednesday requesting that all members of the Committee on House Administration be able to review the contract with Paul Clement, the Bancroft PLLC lawyer representing Congress in the matter.

Earlier this month, House Republicans agreed to a new deal with Clement that would pay him $500,000 to defend DOMA, which bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

Law firm King & Spalding had initially agreed to represent House Republicans, but later withdrew from the case. Clement subsequently resigned from the firm and agreed to join Bancroft PLLC so he could follow through and defend the law.

According to the letter, Brady, Lofgr! en and Gonzalez have yet to receive any reply from Boehner’s office regarding earlier requests for the contract.

“During a hearing of the Legislative Branch Appropriations subcommittee last week, we learned that this contract may violate the fundamental principle of the Anti-Deficiency Act by improperly committing taxpayer funds without appropriate authorization,” the letter stated. 

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