The ongoing probes of Russian election meddling are roiling Washington, spawning new legal actions — and increasingly, emptying the pockets of the people involved in them.
Becoming ensnared in a federal investigation into the links between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Kremlin can pose a serious financial threat for those involved at any level.
In an interview with CNBC, former Trump campaign advisor Michael Caputo described the financial strain of being a witness in the House Intelligence Committee's investigation.
"If you don't go into a congressional hearing thoroughly prepared, then you should bring a toothbrush, because you're going to be there a while," Caputo said in a phone interview.
While his legal fees were cheaper in his home state of New York than they would be in Washington, Caputo still paid about $25,000 per hearing. A good chunk of that fee actually goes toward producing the required documents for investigators. For Caputo, who has known and communicated with some of the central figures in the federal probes for decades, it's a huge task.
"If I have 800 emails where I mention Trump and Russia in the same email, figuring out which ones are of interest to an investigator is above my pay grade" to sift through alone, Caputo said.
Caputo said he first retained attorneys in March last year, after he was named by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., in congressional testimony as being Russian President Vladimir Putin's "image consultant." He has since filed an ethics complaint against Speier, whom he called "a liar all the way to the cellular level."
Speier's office did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
Caputo has only been interviewed by the House committee as a witness, meaning he is not suspected of committing any crimes. He has been tapped to testify before investigators in the Senate, however, and said he expects to be called before special counsel Robert Mueller's team in the future.
His status as a mere witness is all the more reason to go in prepared through legal counsel — "even if you're telling a story about ice cream, because these are some of the most irresponsible people on earth," he said, referring to Congress.
Stanley Twardy Jr., a former U.S. attorney in Connecticut, agreed that preparation is crucial, despite its expense. "You don't want to say anything false, because you could go from witness" to worse, Twardy said. Becoming a subject or a target in a case will likely exacerbate the time and money involved, he said.
The process of preparing a client for multiple congressional hearings, and possibly a grand jury appearance, is time-consuming and expensive. "Hell, at my rates that's gonna be close to $100,000," Twardy said, hinting that the figure would be much higher inside the Washington beltway.
All told, Caputo estimates that his legal fees will total $125,000. But that's a conservative figure, he said, adding, "If I go to the grand jury" as part of the special counsel's probe, "it'll be far more."
He recently started a crowdfunding page to help pay his legal fees.
Greater costs
Being linked to a high-profile and politically charged investigation has dealt a severe blow to Caputo's career and personal life as well, he said.
"It's a balancing act" between tending to the clients of his public relations firm and dealing with the requirements of the investigations, he said.
"I've lost clients," he said. "It's had a dramatic effect on my business."
He said his family, too, has suffered from his exposure. In an interview with conservative news site National Review Online, Caputo said his family received "constant threats of violence" for his public defense of Trump and involvement in the investigations.
"Last month, my wife received a part of a sniper rifle in the mail," Caputo told the website.
These threats have led to further investments in security.
"I have guns in my house and in my office that I never had there before," he said. "If they're coming for me, I'm going to take them out first."
Caputo has had to pay extra for security services, including cameras, in his home and office as well.
Bigger figures
Roger Stone, Trump's longtime confidant and surrogate, told CNBC that his mounting legal fees already add up to more than half a million dollars.
"To date my legal costs all pertain to the House Intelligence Inquiry, the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Inquiries and defending against the harassment lawsuit filed by Project Democracy again me and the Trump campaign," Stone told CNBC in an email.
His fees are projected to double to $1 million, he said, in light of a sweeping new lawsuit filed last week by the Democratic National Committee.
The suit names more than a dozen defendants, including Stone, Wikileaks and Trump's family members, and alleges an illegal conspiracy to help Trump win the 2016 election.
Stone called the lawsuit "bogus," and has said he intends to use the suit as leverage to get undisclosed records from the Democrats.
But that strategy could be costly as well. Companies that use electronic programs to search for such records are sometimes more expensive than lawyers in the short term, Twardy said.
"My clients have been aghast at the cost" of such services, he added.
While Stone goes on the offensive, former national security advisor Michael Flynn's son, Michael Flynn Jr., recently suggested that the burden of defending against the special counsel was the real reason why his father pleaded guilty to federal crimes.
Michael Flynn Jr. could not be reached for comment.
By Kevin Breuninger, CNBC
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Contributions to the Roger Stone and Michael Caputo Legal Defense Funds are appreciated.
THE USED
Premiering Music Video for
"The Nexus"
Exclusively with NYLON
"A journey of self-accepting abandon,
a bit of misery, and now, a transmission
of knowledge and love." - NYLON
Currently on Tour with Support from
Red Sun Rising and The Fever 333
Tickets On Sale At http://theused.net/
May 1, 2018 - Los Angeles, CA - The Used have released a visceral and artistic video for "The Nexus" today. The track from recently released album The Canyon is full of energetic riffs, the undeniable vocals of Bert McCracken and an anthemic bridge for the larger family that is The Used. Check out the music video, premiering exclusively with NYLON, here.
The video was directed by Lisa Mann, the same woman who brought to life the videos from this album cycle as well as "The Bird and The Worm." On the video, Mann shares: "Bert sent me pages ripped from his notes, scribbles, scratches, phrases, train of thoughts he had when making the record. I really wanted to bring the guttural honesty Bert unleashed in the lyrics of the record to the all the videos." The band gave full control to Lisa and the dancer in the video, who also was in both previously released videos from The Canyon. It is truly vivid, visceral and iconic. NYLON wrote that "A music video should not only bring a particular song to life, it should expand on it and give it new depth. The Used have taken this to heart this album cycle and not only are releasing videos that align with their respective songs, but that also stand alone as art all on their own."
In an exclusive interview with NYLON, McCracken shared that "the true connection between art and reality requires a passion for projecting and connection subjective ideas into one visual objective. She [director, Lisa Mann] always seems to see the true picture."
The Used are currently on the road for a Spring Headlining Tour with support from Red Sun Rising and The Fever 333. The tour is travelling throughout the U.S. and parts of Canada and includes festival appearances at Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock on the Range and Rocklahoma. For tickets and more information on this tour, please visit www.TheUsed.net.
The Used will also be playing on select dates of the 2018 Vans Warped Tour. This will be the final full cross-country tour for the cultural institution. Tickets for this summer's Warped Tour are on sale now at http://vanswarpedtour.com/.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
5/1 - Wilmington, DE - The Queen
5/2 - Richmond, VA - The National
5/4 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater**
5/5 - Concord, NC - Carolina Rebellion
5/8 - Toronto, ON - The Phoenix Concert Theatre
5/9 - Kitchener, ON - Elements
5/11 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
5/12 - Fort Wayne, IN - The Clyde Theatre
5/13 - Somerset, WI - Northern Invasion
5/16 - Sioux City, IA - Anthem at Hard Rock Casino Sioux City**
5/17 - Fargo, ND - Sanctuary Event Center*
5/19 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
5/20 - Columbus, OH - Rock on the Range
5/22 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
5/24 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
5/25 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma
6/21 - Pomona, CA+
6/22 - San Diego, CA+
6/23 - Mountain View, CA+
6/24 - Ventura, CA+
6/28 - Phoenix, AZ+
6/29 - Las Vegas, NV+
6/30 - Salt Lake City, UT+
7/01 - Denver, CO+
7/5 - Bonner Springs, KS+
7/6 - Dallas, TX+
7/7 - San Antonio, TX+
7/8 - Houston, TX+
7/10 - Nashville, TN+
* - Only Red Sun Rising
** - Only The Fever 333
*** - Special Guest
+ - Vans Warped Tour
The Used recently released their 7th studio album, The Canyon and secured the #3 Current Hard Music Albums charting position on the Billboard charts. Additionally, The Used secured the #5 Current Alternative Albums, #5 Record Label Independent Current Albums and #6 Top Current Rock Albums charting positions. Fans can purchase the album now in stores, on Apple Music, iTunes or streaming on Spotify.
The 17-track album, released via Hopeless Records and produced by Ross Robinson (The Cure, At The Drive In), pushed the band further in every way imaginable. Written out of pain and loss, The Canyon is tragic and haunting while also having a sense of light and energy that is unlike anything this band has put forward. "This isn't just an album born from a death, it's an album whose makers have found some new lease on life," shared Nylon in an exclusive interview and acoustic session with the band. With praise from outlets like Billboard stating The Canyon is "their largest body of work to date, and in many ways, their most important" and Rolling Stone calling the acoustic performances of these new tracks a "blistering...poignant rendition," this is The Used at their most vulnerable and possibly, at their best.
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Tour Admat Download Here
Fifteen years ago, four teenagers from Utah created a band and released a collection of albums that shaped the space of the alternative rock scene. High energy live shows, gut wrenching relatable lyrics, and melodies that blended pop sensibility and hard rock was the perfect combination to make an everlasting impression on fans globally.
For more information on The Used, please visit:
Website: www.TheUsed.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheUsed
Twitter: twitter.com/WeAreTheUsed
=======================
Gov. Herbert appoints new executive director of the Department of Human Resource Management
SALT LAKE CITY (May. 1, 2018) – Gov. Gary R. Herbert has announced the appointment of Paul Garver as the executive director of the Department of Human Resource Management. Garver replaces Debbie Cragun, who was appointed in June of 2013. Cragun now serves as the Human Resources Administrator to the Utah Legislature.
“Ensuring state employees are well taken care of is a crucial part of helping our government continue to excel,” Gov. Herbert said. “Paul has an exceptional track record of positively impacting employee engagement, and he is a strong leader. His wide breadth of experience and detail-oriented personality will serve the state well, and I look forward to having him as part of Team Utah.”
Garver has served as vice president of human resources for Smiths Detection since 2014. There, he focused on perfecting performance management culture, increasing engagement, developing talent and restructuring, in addition to developing data-based activities that drove continuous improvement within the company.
Previously, Garver has served as human resources director over integrated supply chain for Honeywell International, human resources manager of Aerospace, Defense & Space, and as the center director of Internexus, Incorporated in New York. He received his Master of Business Administration from the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University.
"I am excited to receive this appointment from Governor Herbert,” Garver said. “I look forward to the prospect of working with the fantastic State of Utah Human Resources team to continue the work initiated by my predecessor, Debbie Cragun."
The governor’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate. If successfully confirmed, Garver will assume his responsibilities in June.
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