Jon Tester didn’t come all the way from Montana for the scrambled eggs and bacon. The US senator, virtually unknown in Boston, was in a conference room at the Thornton Law Firm that June morning to cash in at one of the most reliable stops on the Democratic fund-raising circuit, a law firm that pours millions into the coffers of the party and its politicians.
Tester, a massive, jovial man who raises livestock on his family farm, was more compelling than many of the other breakfast guests, all of them political candidates the firm hoped would defend the interests of trial attorneys. But the drill was basically the same. The personal injury lawyers listened politely for a few minutes, then returned to their offices. And Tester walked away with $26,400 in checks.
But a striking thing happened the day Tester visited in 2010. Partner David C. Strouss received a payment from the firm labeled as a “bonus” that exactly equaled his $2,400 contribution to Tester’s campaign, the maximum allowed. A few days later, partner Garrett Bradley — until recently the House assistant majority leader on Beacon Hill — got a bonus, too, exactly matching his $2,400 gift to Tester.
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Excellent reporting: Democratic law firm pays questionable ‘bonuses' to partners for campaign contributions https://t.co/W91pBeRRUZ
— Farhad Manjoo (@fmanjoo) October 30, 2016
Hassan to return $51,000 after the Globe reported Thornton Law apparently reimbursed partners for contributions https://t.co/rUYZnpVV1o pic.twitter.com/dOhTb0IOgN
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) October 31, 2016
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