The legal bill is coming due for Denver's response to a congressional inquiry.
The city recently received an invoice for $250,000 from Covington & Burling, the high-powered Washington law firm the city hired as it faced federal scrutiny over its immigration policies.
The city has been represented by Dana Remus, who previously was the White House counsel for former president Joe Biden. The contract began Feb. 1 as Mayor Mike Johnston was preparing to testify before the Republican-led U.S. House Oversight Committee.
Over the next two months, the city incurred $250,000 in legal fees with the firm, according to an invoice submitted to the city in May. The invoice said only that it was related to the "Congressional Investigation.”
Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the firm helped the mayor prepare for his testimony before the committee, and it helped the city respond to the committee's requests for documents and information.
City officials have stressed they had little choice but to respond to the inquiry, which has focused on the question of whether Denver and other cities have illegally obstructed federal immigration efforts.
Johnston has repeatedly said that the city follows all federal laws, though it does limit local cooperation with immigration agents. Johnston testified before the congressional committee in March, where members grilled him on city policy and threatened him with arrest and criminal investigation.
The contract allows the city to pay Covington up to $2 million over a one-year period, with rates up to $1,000 an hour.
"The city regularly enters into contracts with outside counsel to provide specialized legal expertise or to address a need for additional capacity. This legal counsel allows the city of Denver’s leadership to focus on delivering the high-quality services residents expect and deserve while navigating complex legal matters including federal government actions," wrote Melissa Sisneros, a spokesperson for the City Attorney's Office, in an email to Denverite earlier this year.
It’s unclear if the city will have to pay much more to Covington. The contract ends in Jan. 2025, but “there is nothing currently in the works,” Ewing wrote in an email. But it’s possible the firm will send another invoice, he added.
The city also is joining Chicago and Pima County, Ariz., in suing the federal government over canceled grants, and it’s responding to a federal lawsuit over state and local immigration policies.
But city officials are “hopeful” that those cases can be handled by Chicago’s lawyers and by the Denver City Attorney’s Office, respectively, without racking up more legal fees.
The mayors of Boston, New York City and Chicago also testified at the congressional hearing alongside Johnston. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she expected to pay up to $650,000 on legal prep for the hearing.
