Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL) signed a contract with a local activist promising to provide him with a six-figure job in her congressional office — a contract he says in a lawsuit was a bribe to keep him from running against her.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Columbia College Chicago adjunct professor and Palestinian activist Iymen Chehade filed a lawsuit against Newman in January, alleging breach of contract when she didn’t follow through on her promise. The lawsuit includes a copy of an agreement from December 2018 that Newman signed, which promised Chehade a senior position in her congressional office upon winning the election. The lawsuit was first reported by CBS Chicago and subsequently obtained by the Free Beacon.
“According to the contract, Newman agreed to employ Chehade as both chief foreign policy adviser and either district director or legislative director. The role would have paid Chehade between $135,000 and $140,000 and did not require him to ‘maintain specific hours at the office,’ the agreement states. Newman also promised Chehade ‘complete discretion about the selection and employment termination of staff members under his supervision’ and pledged to ‘use her best efforts to provide Chehade a private office within the congressional suite,’” the Free Beacon reported.
From the Free Beacon:
Chehade went on to assist Newman’s campaign after accepting the agreement and declining to enter the primary, the lawsuit states. According to the complaint, Chehade served as an “informal” adviser to Newman prior to the primary and “helped her craft her campaign statement on Israel/Palestine.” That statement included Newman’s support for “the First Amendment right to pursue the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign” and opposition to “any federal, state, or local legislation” criminalizing the BDS movement.
Chehade said the contract, which Newman has not disputed, was “an effort to induce Chehade not to run against her in the primary.”
In a statement to the Free Beacon, Newman’s campaign spokesperson said Chehade didn’t receive the promised job because he “misrepresented his qualifications” and “was ill-suited for a senior role in a congressional office.” The spokesperson also told the outlet that Chehade’s claims were “fictitious and frankly ludicrous.”
As the Free Beacon reported, the contract could violate federal law, which “prohibits congressional candidates from offering employment for political purposes.” If Chehade is successful in proving Newman promised him a position in her congressional office to keep him from running against her in a primary, Newman could be in big trouble.
Newman narrowly defeated incumbent congressman Dan Lipinksi, the last remaining pro-life Democrat in congress. As the Free Beacon noted, Newman only beat Lipinsky by fewer than 3 points, a narrow defeat that could have been hampered had Chehade entered the race and siphoned votes from Newman.
In her motion to dismiss, Newman’s taxpayer-funded congressional attorneys argue that she “did not have authority to enter into such an agreement,” and, as a government official, is basically immune to most lawsuits.
“Congresswoman Newman could not breach the contract in her individual capacity because she could only hire Mr. Chehade to work in the Congressional office in her official capacity,” the attorneys wrote.
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