How Many Law Firms Does It Take to Figure out Where a Congressman Lives?

By Ken Silverstein

If you are Congressman Robert Wexler, the answer is three.

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) paid more than $6,700 in legal fees in the first quarter of this year, funds spent in part to address questions raised during the 2008 election cycle about his Florida residency status.

According to Federal Election Commission reports, Wexler doled out a single payment of nearly $3,700 to the Florida-based law firm Berger Singerman and $2,200 to the Washington, D.C., office of McDermott Will & Emery. In addition, Wexler paid the Miami office of law firm Hunton & Williams about $900 in the first quarter of this year. The same firm received nearly $9,990 from the campaign between August and November 2008…

In the months before the November elections, Wexler faced questions over his residency status in the state after a Republican challenger criticized the House lawmaker for failing to rent or own a dwelling in Florida, although Wexler owns a Maryland home. Although Wexler did register to vote in his district using his in-laws’ address, that home is located in a community that prohibits children, including Wexler’s own. He subsequently rented an apartment in the Boca Raton area.