THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Despite a career in religion and politics that tread the line between honesty and theft, it took Mike Huckabee until this year to discover the cost of being caught.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee took the lyrics “so many times it happens too fast; You trade your passion for glory” a little too literally when he played the “Eye of the Tiger” as Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was released from jail.

Huckabee blasted the song by the band Survivor after Davis spent some time in the clink for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after last year’s Supreme Court ruling. Rude Music, who owns the rights to the Survivor song, sued Huckabee for unauthorized use of the song and copyright infringement.

The campaign argued that the event was a “religious assembly” and thus not bound by requirements to pay since it is “non-commercial.” The problem with that, however, is that Huckabee’s campaign claimed the event as part of his campaign and expenses show that the rally was paid for on behalf of the campaign.

The former Fox News commentator ultimately agreed to a confidential settlement, but campaign finance disclosure forms released last week from the Federal Election Commission show that he paid $12,500 to Rude Music, Inc. in May 2016. The disbursement is listed as “legal settlement” for “copyright infringement.”

This was one of two payments Huckabee’s campaign has made so far. The first $12,500 payment was listed as an “itemized disbursement,” however. The other half is listed as “debts and obligations.”

Huckabee admitted defeat and settled with the music company out of court. His campaign funds were low, however, so the campaign petitioned the FEC to allow him to start a special legal defense fund to handle the cost of litigating the case as well as the money he ultimately owed. The FEC issued a draft opinion last week encouraging Huckabee to pay the money himself.

Despite dropping out of the campaign on February 1, Huckabee seems to still be struggling to pay off debts to his campaign.

Mike could try getting some honest work to payoff the debts he has, but that wouldn't really suit him. And as we learned last week, Ted Nugent doesn't need a bass man.