Lawyers hired by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are making big money off taxpayers as the state continues to investigate whether he exchanged donations for government actions.
De Blasio's administration has spent at least $5.4 million on legal fees according to a report published Monday in the Wall Street Journal, and that number is expected to climb higher as the state's investigation continues.
The mayor, a Democrat, has admitted to no wrongdoing and says he and his staff have followed all state regulations. The law firm used most by de Blasio is Debevoise & Plimpton LLC and lawyers have charged $600 to $800 an hour, according to the WSJ.
"We didn't have anything like that going on,"Michael Hess, the top city lawyer under Rudy Giuliani, said. "(But) it probably makes sense to hire lawyers for that. There isn't a lot of expertise in the Law Department about possible criminal investigations into the city."
The city has shelled out $400,000 on lawyers from Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP.
There are five investigations being conducted into illegal fundraising tactics by de Blasio's administration dating back to 2013.
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