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The scandal enveloping congresswoman Marie Newman—who's accused of signing after which reneging on a contract to pay a political rival to not run in opposition to her—has taken a surprising new flip. Federal marketing campaign data present that after hanging a secret settlement with the rival, the Illinois Democrat did, in actual fact, put the person on her marketing campaign payroll.
In October 2018, Newman allegedly signed a contract with Iymen Chehade promising him a comfy six-figure wage on her congressional workers in alternate for his political help, based on the Workplace of Congressional Ethics (OCE). When Newman in the end didn’t rent Chehade after she received her 2020 election, he sued.
The 2 reached an undisclosed settlement over the summer season. However, it seems, that’s not the tip of the story.
Newman’s newest FEC filings present she did rent Chehade as a overseas coverage adviser—solely as a substitute of being paid by her congressional workplace, Chehade was employed by Newman’s marketing campaign.
Chehade has obtained a complete of $54,000 because the second half of 2021, principally in wage installments of $7,500 a month, however generally with extra $2,000 funds. In line with the FEC filings, the disbursements to Chehade started on July 1, 2021, simply two days after each side reached a deal to resolve the lawsuit.
That wage seems to make Chehade far and away the highest-paid worker on the congresswoman’s crew in the course of the submitting interval, although Newman’s crew now claims marketing campaign supervisor Ben Hardin has since surpassed Chehade’s wage.
Both manner, Newman’s marketing campaign advised The Every day Beast that Chehade, as their overseas coverage adviser, was an “vital member of our crew.”
“As generally occurs, Mr. Chehade and Marie had a disagreement that led to a lawsuit in 2021. The 2 settled the lawsuit amicably final 12 months and agreed to maneuver ahead collectively in a productive method,” Hardin stated in an announcement.
“Democrats ought to view this as precisely what it's—a tactic out of the precise wing playbook to fabricate a scandal,” Hardin added.
The marketing campaign declined to touch upon whether or not Chehade’s employment was a part of settling the lawsuit this summer season.
Newman doesn't serve on any overseas coverage committees within the Home, although she has partially blamed her 2018 failure to unseat then-incumbent Dan Lipinski on a lack of awareness of Israeli-Palestinian points. Nonetheless, it's extremely uncommon for a marketing campaign to rent a overseas coverage adviser, notably one that's the highest-paid worker for any time period.
The place, nevertheless, is smart on this regard: It was within the contract that Newman signed that Chehade be a overseas coverage adviser.
In a four-page “employment settlement” that was photocopied into the OCE report, Newman and Chehade accepted that he could be employed as a overseas coverage adviser and would stay in that place for so long as Newman remained in Congress—as long as Chehade didn’t “materially breach” stipulations within the contract akin to working a 40-hour week. Newman additionally agreed to pay Chehade between $135,000 and $140,000, with “cost-of-living and advantage raises” relevant yearly after.
However based on the OCE report, “Chehade’s coverage experience was not the one purpose she contracted to make use of him sooner or later. As a substitute, Rep. Newman possible was motivated to enter the settlement to keep away from competing in opposition to Mr. Chehade within the subsequent Democratic major.”
Whereas Newman advised the OCE she by no means had any discussions about Chehade’s curiosity in working for a similar seat as Newman, the OCE discovered an e mail from Chehade to Newman outlining draft provisions of the contract, specifically this key stipulation:
“Chehade agrees to not announce or submit his candidacy for election to Congressional Consultant of the third District of Illinois. In alternate, Newman will rent Chehade as her Chief Foriegn Coverage Advisor.”
Chehade introduced his candidacy for a newly created neighboring district in December. And after redistricting pitted them in opposition to one another, Newman is working for re-election in opposition to one other incumbent Democrat: Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)
Whatever the clear proof in any other case, Newman’s crew has remained adamant that the ethics grievance is meritless. The grievance was initially filed by the Basis for Accountability and Civic Belief, a company based by Matthew Whittaker, who was performing legal professional basic underneath the Trump administration.
The Home Ethics Committee additionally emphasised in a January press launch that the method of investigating a grievance does “not itself point out that any violation has occurred.”
Reached by cellphone on Tuesday, Chehade refused to touch upon the funds or on the phrases of his settlement with Newman. As a part of their settlement this summer season, Newman and Chehade each signed a nondisclosure settlement, based on the OCE.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s workplace additionally didn't instantly return a request for remark about whether or not it was applicable for Newman to make use of Chehade on this position given the ethics investigation and proof in opposition to her of signing an improper settlement.