Remember the article that Amanda Terkel wrote a few weeks back about the possibility that signing the DOMA legal defense contract may have violated the law, specifically the Anti-Deficiency Act?
Well, Chris Johnson asked Boehner about it. And, surprise, Boehner thinks it's all okay because he didn't break House Rules. Maybe. But, there's a federal statute at play here -- and Boehner doesn't decide whether that law was broken:
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) asserted on Thursday that a contract executed to hire a private attorney to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court complies with the law — despite earlier reporting that the agreement may be in violation of rules regarding government contracts.The thing is, we're not talking about the rules of the House. We're talking about violating a federal statute, specifically The Antideficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. § 1341, can be viewed here. And, there are penalties There are criminal penalties for violating the Antideficiency Act, which can be found at 31 U.S.C. § 1350:
During a news conference, Boehner denied the agreement was in violation of any House rules when asked by the Washington Blade if he's confident the contract doesn't violate a law mandating that government-allocated funds be approved through the congressional appropriations process before they're obligated for any purpose.
"This hiring was approved by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group," Boehner said. "I'm confident that it complies with all of the rules of the House."
An officer or employee of the United States Government or of the District of Columbia government knowingly and willfully violating section 1341 (a) or 1342 of this title shall be fined not more than $5,000, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both.Did Boehner break the law by signing the DOMA contract?
It's funny (in a sick way) how money is no object for the House GOPers when it's being used to bash gays. They've dropped all pretense of fiscal austerity over defending DOMA. Money is no object, nor is adherence to the law.
