Meese Says U.S. Must Pay Legal Bills for Burford

WASHINGTON — Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III said Wednesday that Anne McGill Burford, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is legally entitled to government reimbursement for $211,000 in legal fees.

Meese, who wants the government to pay more than $700,000 of his own legal fees, said that Burford also is entitled to reimbursement. “It’s a matter of statutory law in both cases,” Meese said.

Burford has said that Meese made a promise two years ago that the government would cover her costs of defending herself in federal investigations and against a contempt of Congress citation.

On Wednesday, Meese denied that there was any specific link between the legal fees and Burford’s resignation, but he added that “it was indicated at the time that, to the extent possible, the legal fees would be reimbursed, and, by resigning--which she wanted to do--there would be no giving up of whatever right to reimbursement she might have.”