A TPM Reader (who’s a lawyer) asked whether it might not be the case that the RNC is paying Jim Tobin’s legal bills in the New Hampshire phone-jamming case because they are under some legal or contractual obligation to do so.
Now, as I wrote earlier, it seems to me that the demonstrable evidence of Tobin’s guilt, would absolve them of such an obligation. And, just to be clear, Tobin’s defense doesn’t seem to rest on his being innocent of the deeds in questions but rather on claims that no laws cover what he did or that he has immunity from prosecution. I’d be curious to hear from other lawyers with experience in this area what they think.
But the thing is, Tobin’s legal bills — $700,000 and counting — are being paid by the Republican National Committee. And he wasn’t working for the Republican National Committee. He was working for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. These are two different organizations. They may have a common interest in Tobin’s silence. But I cannot see why the RNC has any obligation, legal or ethical, to foot the bill for Tobin’s defense.
