FLINT, MICHIGAN—Governor Rick (What, Me Worry?) Snyder is flirting with the classic law-school definition of chutzpah.

The costs of the Flint drinking water crisis continued to climb Tuesday as Gov. Rick Snyder asked the State Administrative Board to approve contracts worth up to $1.2 million to cover his outside legal bills, and Attorney General Bill Schuette asked for approval of a $1.5-million contract with attorney Todd Flood to cover the cost of his investigation into the public health disaster. Snyder's request Tuesday increases the estimated cost of his outside legal fees from just under $500,000 to more than double that, with up to $400,000 going to civil attorney Eugene Driker and up to $800,000 going to Brian Lennon, a criminal defense attorney who Snyder officials say has been hired in an investigative role to research and process e-mails and other records.

Surely, there's a wingnut sugar daddy who could give Snyder a loan so he won't have to tap taxpayers in places like, oh, I dunno, Flint to front his legal bills.

Snyder's bills are controversial because they are in addition to the costs of attorneys from Schuette's office who are defending him in a raft of civil suits related to the Flint crisis. Schuette's selection of Flood to lead his Flint water investigation also has been criticized by Common Cause in Michigan and Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Brandon Dillon because Flood has been a campaign donor to both Snyder and Schuette. "It's beyond outrageous that Snyder wants to take $1.2 million from Michigan taxpayers to pay for defense attorneys over his involvement in the poisoning of Flint's water," Dillon said. "That money should go toward replacing lead pipes and getting safe drinking water to Flint families, not for Snyder's defense attorneys."

These really are the fcking mole people.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io