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After making donations upwards of $400 million that were gained by fraudulent means to both major political parties, politicians and charities, Florida lawyer Scott Rothstein is giving at least some of that money back.

Miami lawyers Kendall Coffey and Jeffrey Sonn are helping to defending clients who say the wealthy Rothstein defrauded them of up to $400 million.

“Scott Rothstein solicited investors to buy shares in a structured settlement that purportedly had been reached with a defense industry whistleblower, who wanted instant cash in place of installment payments over time,” according to an article on www.law.com.

According to a New York Times article published Nov. 4, Rothstein’s law firm has been placed in receivership, a type of corporate bankruptcy, and the ensuing investigation could lead to the largest giveback of donations in the state’s history.

Since then, both the Democratic Party of Florida and the Republican Party of Florida have given back sums totaling more than $350,000, which came from Rothstein.

Other politicians given donations from Rothstein that are believed to be fraudulent include Republican Sen. John McCain and Democrat Harry Reid, Senate majority leader.

Kendall Coffey said it is still uncertain how many people might be affected.

He said it appeared to be a small group, with large claims.

“The ones described to me had claims in at least seven figures,” Kendall Coffey said.

Jamie Gorelick, who was the Deputy Attorney General during the Clinton Administration and a member of the 9-11 Commission, queues in on the future of America’s National Security under a demoralized Justice Department and what will soon be a new presidency. Jamie Gorelick also chairs the United Technologies Corporation.

A New Agenda for Justice

By Jamie S. Gorelick

Tuesday, August 28, 2007; Page A13

The next attorney general will inherit a demoralized Justice Department that has been cut adrift from its historical values and well-honored traditions. New leadership offers an opportunity for Justice to return to its best traditions under both Democrats and Republicans. Here are 10 priorities that would help the next attorney general guide the department back on course:

# Restore credibility and comity with Congress. Having the backing and support of Congress is critical. Lawmakers will give Justice the room it needs if they believe that the attorney general and his or her subordinates are straightforward in their dealings and open to legitimate oversight.

“Take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Every president promises to ensure that the government adheres to the law and the Constitution. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has historically been — and needs to be — the voice for the rule of law in the president’s deliberations, providing an honest appraisal of applicable law, even if that advice will constrain the administration’s pursuit of desired policies. This mandate applies with special force where the office’s advice is unlikely to be subject to review by the courts. Where an opinion is so widely ridiculed that the department has to withdraw it, as was the case with the first “torture memo,” confidence in the department’s fealty to the law is undermined.

Read the rest of Jamie Gorelick’s A New Agenda for Justice.

Jamie Gorelick is a lawyer at Wilmer Hale.

Jamie Gorelick reflects on 9-11.

View a question an answer session with Jamie Gorelick who was formally Vice Chairman of Fannie Mae.

Jamie Gorelick’s career history can be found at http://www.jamie-gorelick.com.

Read the 9-11 commission of which Jamie Gorelick was a part.

Review Jamie Gorelick’s political affiliations.

View press releases for Jamie Gorelick.