Clinton presidential campaign drops Scruggs fundraiser

OXFORD (AP) — A Dec. 15 fundraiser at the Oxford home of attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs for the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and featuring former President Bill Clinton has been canceled, a campaign official said Thursday.

“In light of new developments we have canceled the event,” said Blake Zeff, a campaign spokesman.

Zeff did not elaborate on the announcement.

Scruggs was indicted along with three other attorneys, including his son, who is his law partner, and a former Mississippi auditor. They face charges including one count of defrauding the federal government and two counts of wire fraud.

The indictment made public Wednesday accused Scruggs of conspiring to pay a judge $50,000 to rule in his favor in a lawsuit brought by other attorneys who sought fees for work on Katrina insurance litigation.

Scruggs made millions from helping negotiate a multibillion dollar settlement with tobacco companies in the 1990s and now represents hundreds of Mississippi homeowners after Hurricane Katrina.