Earlier this week, Speaker John Boehner demanded that the Department of Justice foot the bill for defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in court. Now we know why Boehner wanted the money so badly--the House has retained former Bush II Solicitor General Paul Clement, and they're paying his firm a lot of money:
"The General Counsel agrees to pay the Contractor for all contractual services rendered a sum not to exceed $500,000.00," the Contract for Legal Services obtained by The Huffington Post says. The cap could be raised "by written agreement between the parties with the approval" of the House, the document states.
The hourly rate that King & Spaulding will be receiving a "blended rate" of $520 per hour -- which could actually be considered a deal. Some reports say that the firm's top attorneys receive as much as $900 per hour. It will also be getting "75 percent of the Contractor's usual and customary rates for all reasonable non-attorney time expended in connection with the Litigation," as well as reimbursements for "reasonable expenses" related to the case.
As Steve Benen notes this is somewhat at odds with Republicans' austerity message, although never let it be said that Republicans weren't willing to break with orthodoxy and raise taxes or go on a spending spree if it might stop women from getting an abortion or gays and lesbians from getting married. The administration decided to stop defending the law last month, saying they believed it was unconstitutional.
CNN has a new poll out today showing that 51 percent of Americans favor recognition of same-sex marriage. Majorities of Democrats (64 percent) and Independents (55 percent) support marriage equality while 71 percent of Republicans oppose it. This is not a winning battle for the Republican Party, but it's one that their base wants them to fight.
