Jim Bopp Setting Up Curtis Hill Legal Defense Fund

The IR team apologizes for the delay in posting. But the team has been sifting through information and handling some personal matters. Last Tuesday we reported on Kevin Betz’s planned press conference the next day about embattled Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill.

In our post we had postulated that:

Given Betz & Hill’s past history together. It seems doubtful that Betz is antagonistic towards Hill. Given Hill’s digging in his heels regarding allegations of groping various women. Indy Republican highly doubts that Hill is going to announce that he is resigning tomorrow. Our best guess is that Betz might be holding the conference to defend Hill and fight back against calls for Hill to resign.

Our prediction was more than born out when on Wednesday IndyStar reporters Tony Cook, Ryan Martin and Kaitlin Lange reported the following:

Indianapolis attorneys Kevin Betz and Sandra Blevins said Wednesday morning that Hill is considering a defamation lawsuit, but has not yet filed one. While noting inconsistencies between a confidential legislative memo and the public accounts of two women, they are targeting whoever is responsible for supplying the incorrect information contained in the memo — as well as whoever leaked the memo's contents to reporters.

In a press conference at his law firm, Betz pushed top lawmakers — whose legislative investigation's findings were contained in the memo — to do three things: 

• Correct any incorrect information contained in the memo
• Identify any unnamed individuals who provided the incorrect information
• Identify who leaked the contents of the memo to the media

"The governor has already tried, convicted and is marching Curtis to the gallows," Betz said in an interview with IndyStar after the news conference.

Earlier today Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette reporter Nikki Kelly brought up questions about whether Hoosiers are paying Hill’s legal costs. 

Kelly writes:

Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill is fighting for his job and his political career. But who is footing the bill?

State employees have sent out releases via his official account denouncing calls for his resignation, and he held a defiant press conference in his Statehouse digs.

Things are getting more complicated now that Hill has hired both civil and criminal attorneys to handle different facets of the incident.

Indianapolis lawyer Kevin Betz said he has a contract with “the attorney general as an individual as well as with the attorney general in his capacity as an elected official.” When asked if state taxpayers could be on the hook he said, “I'll make sure that doesn't occur.”

Kelly also points out that Curtis Hill is not the only public official that has questionable use of taxpayer resources in the Hill incident:

But Hill isn't the only one using state resources. Holcomb, Bosma and Long have all responded via official channels as well. Bosma and Long were initially approached as employers of the women –who all work for the Indiana General Assembly.

Niki Kelly and others on tweeted the following which sheds some light on a way Curtis Hill could handle his legal defense/public relations battle without using taxpayer dollars:

My story today on the balance between personal and professional for Curtis Hill. It asked who is paying for what. And tomorrow a new group led by Jim Bopp will open a legal defense fund. https://t.co/7g0RWhFU8o

— Niki Kelly (@nkellyatJG) July 22, 2018

"Fairness for Curtis Hill" legal defense fund to be announced tomorrow. Comes days after his attorneys threatened to file defamation lawsuit pic.twitter.com/letp623DB5

— Katie Heinz (@katieheinz6) July 22, 2018

If the above tweets are accurate as they appear to be. Than former Indiana Republican National Committeeman and Attorney Jim Bopp will be heading the “Fairness for Curtis Hill” group. As to why such a distinguished Indiana GOP Operative and Attorney Jim Bopp would be helping out Curtis Hill is a good question. At this point it should be readily apparent that there is no love lost between Curtis Hill and Governor Eric Holcomb. There is also animosity between many Indiana Republicans against Holcomb for the fact that to put it delicately Eric Holcomb is well Eric Holcomb. Previously we reported that Jim Bopp was involved in a lawsuit against the Holcomb administration. The lawsuit alleges that the Holcomb administration has illegally collected $1 Billion in trucking fees.

And helping out Curtis Hill is just another way to cause trouble for “Mad Little Eric” Holcomb. Indy Republican doesn’t see how this whole Curtis Hill-Eric Holcomb shit show does anything other than damage the Indiana GOP. We hope that justice prevails for the victims of Curtis Hill. We also hope that for their bungling of this very serious matter that Brian Bosma and Eric Holcomb take a very big fall.