Criminal Campaign Finance Case

Michigan attorney Geoffrey Feiger and a partner have been indicted for conspriacy to make illegal campaing contributions.

The indictment accuses them of soliciting 60 “straw donors” to also contribute the $2,000 maximum to Edwards and then reimbursing them for their contributions through funds from their Southfield-based Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Johnson PC firm.

Fieger issued a written statement in which he assailed the indictment as a product of a President George W. Bush’s Justice Department’s effort to use the federal courts to target Democrats. He cited the firings of several U.S. attorneys by the Justice Department in some cases resulting from dissatisfaction with their lack of prosecution of Democrats.

He said U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales – with the encouragement of longtime Bush political adviser Karl Rove – began a campaign in 2005 to destroy the fundraising ability of Edwards.

“It is a truly sad day in America when political prosecutions are becoming a common-place occurrence,” he said. “The timing of these unprecedented charges, that have no support in fact or law, during the height of the presidential fund-raising campaign, is solely intended to intimidate Democratic supporters around the country. The false charges made against me and my partner today will ultimately fail.”

Given that the Justice Department doesn't bring too many criminal campaign finance cases, my guess is that they have a very solid case.