Terry Branstad soaks Iowa taxpayers for $370,599 in legal fees (so far) defending himself agaInst gay discrimination lawsuit

Chris Godfrey, Iowa worker's
compensation commissioner

Chris Godfrey, formerly Iowa's compensation commissioner, alleged defamation, harassment, sexual discrimination and extortion by GOP Gov. Branstad, who cut his salary after he refused to resign, as did other top state employees appointed by Branstad's Democratic predecessor, Chet Culver.
     Branstad's spokesman claimed the governor didn't know Godfrey was gay.
     Of course, Branstad also claimed, after cutting Godfrey's salary, that the Iowa Association of Business and Industry pushed for his removal.
     The group's president, Mike Ralston, said he was never involved in such a conversation and was unaware of any staff member who had made such a request.
     Iowa's treasurer, Michael Fitzgerald, said, of the legal fees:

"That's a whopper isn't it. That's huge. We could go well over half a million over a political personal argument here."