The Federal Election Commission this week gave the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee permission to set up a new campaign account to pay down comedian Al Franken’s (D) legal fees, which could top $10 million by the time Democrats move to seat him in the Senate.

In a letter sent Monday, FEC Chairman Steven Walther, an independent, notified Democratic lawyers that the DSCC may establish a new recount fund allowing the committee to collect a new round of contributions from individuals, party committees and other sources that presumably already maxed out to the committee or Franken, or both, in 2008.

The agency also notified Franken’s lawyers in the letter that they may not yet set up another account, an “election contest fund,— which also would have been used to help pay down Franken’s massive legal tab.

Franken and former Sen. Norm Coleman (R) are awaiting the decision of a three-judge panel on who won the disputed Senate election last year.