Will County Gazette

Newly-elected Democratic Congresswoman Marie Newman (D-Chicago) is facing allegations of having promised a local activist a lucrative taxpayer-funded job in her administration in exchange for him staying out of the primary race she narrowly captured over longtime incumbent Dan Lipinski.

“Democratic congresswoman @RepMarieNewman promised a six-figure, taxpayer-funded job to a local activist that he says was a bribe to keep him out of a tight primary race—an apparent violation of federal law,” reads a post on the Washington Free Beacon Twitter page.

The accusation against Newman comes from Columbia College Chicago adjunct professor and Palestinian activist Lymen Chehade, who formerly filed suit charging Newman with breach of contract back in January.  As part of the legal filing, Chehade provided a December 2018 agreement signed off on by Newman that all but assured him a role in her administration going forward.

While Newman has yet to dispute the authenticity of the contract, a spokesperson for the Illinois lawmaker told the Free Beacon the agreement was squelched after it became apparent that Chehade had “misrepresented his qualifications” and “was ill-suited for a senior role in a congressional office.”

The spokesperson also branded the bribe allegations alluded to in Chehade’s lawsuit as “fictitious and frankly ludicrous.”

Federal law forbids congressional candidates from offering employment opportunities based on political purposes. Documents show Chehade was set to become both chief foreign policy adviser and either district director or legislative director. He was pegged to earn up to $140,000 annually, even though the role did not require him to “maintain specific office hours” and gave him complete discretion when he came to employing staffers.