From the Tribune

CAMPAIGN 2008
In disclosures, Blagojevich adds $1 million to legal bills
By Rick Pearson and Robert Becker | Tribune reporters
January 23, 2008
Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose administration has been beset by myriad investigations, disclosed almost $1 million in new legal bills Tuesday, on top of the $1.1 million he's already paid to a prominent Chicago firm.
The governor's campaign spokesman reported $965,352 in legal fees for 2007, bringing Blagojevich's total tab to more than $2 million in billings for Winston & Strawn. The legal spending comes after federal investigators began ramping up their probes into alleged wrongdoing involving state hiring, contracting and board appointments in 2006.
The disclosure came on the day that politicians were required to file campaign finance reports detailing the source of their donations and spending for the last six months of 2007. Blagojevich's report for the last half of 2007 was delayed by computer problems, but campaign spokesman Doug Scofield provided the figures late Tuesday.
Scofield said $555,255 in new billings from Winston & Strawn represented a disputed debt for the first six months of 2007 that the campaign now had agreed it owed. He said the bills had not been disclosed earlier because there had been "some discussion about the size of the bill" between the campaign and the law firm.
"As soon as that was decided, it was filed appropriately," Scofield said. "As soon as it was clarified, it was filed appropriately."
Scofield said Blagojevich also will report new billings of more than $410,000, listed as debt, for the last six months of 2007.
When it filed its state-mandated campaign reports in July, the Blagojevich campaign only reported paying $163,000 in legal fees to Winston & Strawn and gave no indication that other bills had been submitted by the law firm.
The Tribune reported late last year that federal investigators also have begun looking into real estate deals involving Blagojevich's wife, Patricia, which netted the state's first family hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions from politically connected clients.
The campaign, as has been its recent tradition, has refused to identify what legal services are provided by Winston & Strawn. In December, former Gov. Jim Thompson, the senior chairman of Winston & Strawn, acknowledged that one of the firm's top criminal defense attorneys was working for the Blagojevich campaign. Thompson said, however, that he did not know what work the firm was doing for the Blagojevich campaign and told the Tribune, "if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."
In a contest on the Feb. 5 ballot, more than $1.5 million has flowed into the contentious Democratic race for Cook County state's attorney in the last few weeks, as questions about campaign fundraising have become the latest issue in the six-way battle for the county's top legal job.
Candidate Larry Suffredin, a county commissioner, used Tuesday's deadline for reporting donations to call on another contender, Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st), to return $35,000 in contributions from a firm that has been sued for sexual harassment and is under state investigation for fraud.
The firm, International Profit Associates, was sued by the federal government several years ago over the alleged sexual harassment of 120 female workers by executives. The firm also is the subject of an investigation by Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan over fraud allegations.
"It's utterly irresponsible for a candidate for state's attorney to take money from a company that continues to make headlines for widespread sexual harassment and suspicious business practices that seem to have gone on for years," said Mary Morrissey, Suffredin's campaign manager. "The people of Cook County deserve better."
In a statement, Brookins called Suffredin "an unconscionable hypocrite."
He said Suffredin was treasurer of retiring State's Atty. Dick Devine's 2002 campaign, which accepted donations from the firm.
"Mr. Suffredin certainly did not urge Mr. Devine to return the money," Brookins said, adding that Suffredin didn't "jump on" other Democrats who received donations from the firm.
Compared with Suffredin, Brookins isn't in any position to return donations. He reported $46,013 in cash on hand at the end of the year after receiving $238,872 for the six-month period ending Dec. 31, 2007. Since that time he has picked up an additional $112,523.
Meanwhile, Suffredin reported $271,436 on hand, with total receipts of $496,078. Suffredin has received an additional $353,044 since Jan. 1, including $100,000 from media owner and major Democratic donor Fred Eychaner and an additional $25,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Ald. Tom Allen (38th) reported $351,744 on hand from total contributions of $520,470.
Robert Milan, Devine's top assistant, reported receipts of $255,210 and cash on hand of $117, 148. Since Jan. 1, Milan reported an additional $419,000, including a $150,000 personal loan and a $50,000 loan from attorney Terrence Lavin, who is co-chairman of Milan's finance committee.
Anita Alvarez, the third-ranking official in Devine's office, recorded $64,025 in receipts and $40,000 in loans from her husband, James J. Gomez, and reported $41,259 on hand at the end of December. Since then, she has received an additional $600,000 loan from Gomez.