On July 10, 2008, Donald F. McGahn was named chairman of the newly seated Federal Election Committee. It was the first time the FEC had met in over six months, a break caused by a confirmation standoff between Senate Republicans and Democrats. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, McGahn worked at the Patton Boggs law firm before starting his own practice, McGahn & Associates. In 1999, he was named general counsel to the National Republican Congressional Committee. McGahn was a controversial choice for the FEC, having represented former Congressman Tom DeLay on a number of campaign finance issues. In 2005 DeLay was indicted on charges of money laundering after his political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC), was audited by the FEC, which found widespread misreporting of debts, contributions and assets. McGahn served as chairman until December 31, 2008.