DeLeo 'Confident' He's In The Clear In Probation Probe

House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday again said he is not a target of the long-running and still ongoing federal investigation into patronage hiring at the state Probation Department, chalking up his $300,000 legal tab to the length of the process during which he has always maintained he did nothing wrong.

"I'm confident I'm in the clear because I’ve been informed that the U.S Attorney has stated I was not involved in any impropriety,” DeLeo told reporters after caucusing with House Democrats.

The Winthrop Democrat said that the grand jury investigating the Probation Department was still empaneled, and he did not know the “status” of any other House lawmakers.

DeLeo reported this week paying $300,000 in campaign funds to his attorney, R. Robert Popeo, a partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, over the past six months. DeLeo said the information from Popeo that he will not be charged is an affirmation of the innocence he has asserted all along.

"With this type of job, I think every day there are new types of challenges and what not, so quite frankly I didn’t have a whole lot of time to be dwelling on outside issues because I had enough to keep me busy right here,” DeLeo said.