Former Sen. Campbell pays law firm $20,000

Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) paid his law firm more than $20,000 after his ex-chief of staff Ginnie Kontnik pleaded guilty in connection with a kickback investigation.

{mosads}According to campaign finance records, Campbell paid $21,257 on May 11 to Patton Boggs, the firm he retained after the Department of Justice began investigating allegations that Kontnik overpaid a Campbell staffer and demanded $2,000 back for herself.

Campbell's payment came out of unspent campaign funds. He’d already paid more than $150,000 to the firm.

The payment came more than six weeks after Kontnik pleaded guilty to filing a false disclosure form. At the time, Campbell issued a statement saying, “Ms. Kontnik’s guilty plea ends this unfortunate matter and the investigation is now complete.”

Campbell still has nearly $300,000 cash on hand. He works for the Washington office of Holland & Knight, and is a registered lobbyist for the National Indian Gaming Association, the parent company of United Airlines and the PGA Tour.