A government legal defense fund is an account set up to pay for the legal expenses encountered by a person holding government office, or by other public officials. While public figures are undergoing legal proceedings, they may incur large legal fees and face conflict of interest laws that restrict how they may pay for such expenses. A legal defense fund allows third parties to donate monies, with an option for anonymity, to pay for such legal costs. Many American public figures have employed legal defense funds, including
Bill Clinton and
Sarah Palin. On November 15, 2010, Congressman
Charlie Rangel's credibility was questioned when he claimed that until very recently he was unaware that the establishment of a legal defense fund was an option he could use to pay for his defense against
corruption charges These funds are governed by
Congressional ethics rules and guidelines from the
Office of Governmental Ethics (OGE), which impose various requirements to limit contributions to the fund. ==Public interest==