CREW Files Ethics Complaint Against Norm Coleman
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington blog:
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics asking for an investigation into whether Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) violated the Senate gifts rule by accepting lodging from Republican operative Jeff Larson. The pdf copy of the complaint can be found here.
According to National Journal, in July 2007, Sen. Coleman began paying Mr. Larson $600 per month to rent a portion of a basement apartment in a Capitol Hill townhouse owned by Mr. Larson. After the magazine began making inquiries about the senator’s living arrangement, Sen. Coleman “discovered” that he had failed to pay rent in November 2007 and January 2008, and his wife gave Mr. Larson a personal check for the $1,200. Last year, Sen. Coleman sold Mr. Larson some furniture -- a couch, table and chairs and a desk -- to cover one month’s rent, and Mr. Larson held onto Sen. Coleman’s March rent check for three months, until June 17, before cashing it only days after National Journal began asking questions.
Mr. Larson runs the telemarketing firm FLS Connect, which has been paid over a million dollars by Sen. Coleman’s campaign committees and leadership PAC since 2001. Mr. Larson is also the PAC’s treasurer and FLS has been providing it with office space in St. Paul. In addition, Mr. Larson’s wife, Dorene Kainz, has been working in Sen. Coleman’s St. Paul office, but after National Journal asked about her position, Sen. Coleman’s office announced that she would soon be leaving the office.
Unsurprisingly, Coleman went on the attack:
The only surprise is that it took Al Franken’s surrogate this long to file a politically motivated attack against Senator Coleman. The Executive Director of CREW, Melanie Sloan, was a featured guest who made at least 50 appearances on Al Franken’s radio show - appearances that were marked with theme music dedicated to her and made her a reliable attack dog for the Democrat Party. We will probably see pigs flying before she gets around to filing an ethics complaint against her former boss, and current political ally, DSCC Chairman Chuck Schumer, for his own rental arrangement. The record is clear that Senator Coleman paid fair market value for a cramped basement bedroom, and attacks by Franken’s surrogates won’t change those facts.
Yeah well, while Melanie Sloan did appear on Al Franken's Air America show frequently, CREW is hardly the only organization noticing the cozy relationship between Coleman and Larson.
Vote the Bum Out!
Vote the Bum out!
Interesting I spelled the word right it comes out Burn. But I guess you guys get the meaning.
{Yeah, we get the meaning. SiteMonitor}
Welcome to Washington, Senator Franken!
So whats the big deal? He rented a small room from a friend. I don't get where that is an ethics violation. He forgot to pay his rent for 2 months. So what. Don't we have bigger fish to fry, so to speak? I loved Melenie Sloan when she was on the Al Franken show (M-M-Me-Melenie Sloan!) but this seems kinda lame to me.
So much for responding to the allegations...
When the 4th amendment in the Bill of Rights is about to be voted out of existence in a week or so in the Senate under Harry Reid, making massive illegal surveillance of law abiding citizens retroactively okay and shutting down the court cases to determine what actually happened, why should I care about a little Republican corruption?
Travesty Alert:
Bush will speak at Monticello on July 4th. What would Thomas Jefferson's ghost say?
My is guess is he would be plenty mad.
Call the private Foundation that manages Monticello at 434 984-9822 and hit zero to comment. or e-mail at monticello.org
Thanks to those who called or emailed
Jay @ 4:
Meh. Maybe it is a small fish, but I wouldn't say it ranks quite as low as "lame". The way I see it, if we kept an eye on all politicians starting with small transgressions, maybe we wouldn't have to humiliate later them by sending them to jail for bigger scams. Keep 'em honest, I say. And if Schumer needs to have his laundry aired out (I am hardly taking Coleman's people's word for it, but for the sake of argument...), then let's bloody do it. Get everybody more honest!
Jay @ 4:
Follow the links. Coleman has paid millions to Larson. Larson's wife is "employed" by Coleman. The apartment is NOT fair market value, no matter what Coleman says. CREW may be the organization that filed the ethics violation, but they are hardly the only ones to note it.
Bravo Norm, attack the messenger. (snark)
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!!
don't be in such a hurry to point your finger at al for his tax issues..........karma poins back
I just don't see the traction. Every poll I've seen shows Coleman leading Franken. Was it sleazy. Maybe. Hell, probably to you and me. But sleazy in a politics-as-usual sort of way and "if we get caught here's how we can make it legit." The people who voted for Coleman and still support him are unlikely to be too impressed with the underdog digging up "maybes". Might even look lame and backfire.
Well, lookie lookie lookie what we have here!
Turns out PUMA (Party Unity My Ass!) was started by a McCain Donator. The media has been all over this group saying it was started by Hillary supporters!
PUMAs are Swiftboats
"...a reliable attack dog for the Democrat Party."
This comment alone makes me hate this guy.
Chase them all. Hound them all. Investigate them, prosecute them, fine and imprison them.
Where is Don Rumsfeld anyway?
Even if it were a politically motivated attack, which I doubt, what is that bible verse the bible thumping GOPers are always quoting, eye for an eye? Seems I remember a lot of politically motivated attacks against Democrats in both the Tom Delay congress and the Bush White House when they had alll the power, not to mention the treasonous act of outing a CIA in a politically motivated attack. Go for it! Attack away! Playback's and karma's a bitch.
Ruthless People @ 14:
You have to understand, it is an "eye for an eye" if you are a Republican. If you are a Democrat you must "turn the other cheek."
Sung to the Oscar Meyer song - you know the tune:
Oh, my penis has a first name, it's George!
Oh, my penis has a second name, it's Dick!
Oh, I love to beat it every day,
And if you ask me why I'll saaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy
'Cause George and Dick they have the way
To make me beat... Waitaminnit.... WTF???
Isn't this torture? Where the hell are the Geneva convention folks?
NO MORE MARGARITAS FOR YOU!
Get the hell back here and do the heavy lifting!!!
Damn...
What's good for goose is good for the gander. Coleman is a Bushie, put in office to satisfy Karl Rove's wet dream. Sorry, but I don't give a rat's ass about any of this.
Robbo @ 13:
It was one of the first things I noticed. Are all Republicans illiterate?
This is the new meme the GOP is coordinately pushing; the "surrogate" meme.
In this election cycle, every time anyone has something disturbingly honest to say about a GOP candidate, no matter how connected that person is, they are now a "surrogate" who has been coordinated by _X_ candidate to attack their opponent.
Watch this continue.
Kick him in the mouth Al. Franken's win will kill O'Racist in November.
Fucking hilarious!!! Coleman doesn't even have the sense to avoid something that obviously would give an appearance of impropriety. The people of Minnesota deserve smarter than him.
He is a regular at the St.Paul Hotel and not with his Wife.
600 bucks for an apartment in DC.. thats bargain or was there some ass play involved.
I found more about Coleman's room in the cramped basement at The Rochester Democrat (http://www.therochesterdemocrat.com/index.php/test/print/norm_colemans_s...)
....Real Estate Website Listed “Simply Divine” 140 North Carolina Ave. S.E. as Having “Huge English Basement.” In February 2007, 140 North Carolina Ave. S.E. was placed on the market and listed on the website of Phyllis Jane Young Realty. Included in the listing is “a huge English basement with a media center, office space, gorgeous custom marble and oak bar plus an airy guest bedroom and bath…Simply Divine!” [Phyllis Jane Young Realty]
... Larson Purchased Property in March 2007 for Slightly Less Than $1 Million....
Jay @ 4:
THIS
Coleman got a sweet deal from a friend and political contributor.
So did Obama, but I'm sure we'd all find a way to defend that.
Seriously - I can't believe this even got posted.
Basement / closet ,
Norm ,
I cant wait to hear what George Galloway says about this , this is too funny .
This guy really needs to be kicked out of office. He is a disgrace to any political office and his voting record speaks volumes.
I don't live in his state, but felt the need to call his office several times to send messages to him on his speaking and voting tactics.
He is simply shameful and I hope Al beats his ass right out of office
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2534548716210867559
Bring Galloway back to tear Norm another new one.
What's going on with all these Republicans and their screw-ups involving money?
Coleman and Larson can't keep track of rental payments.
The McCain's forget to pay taxes for years on one of their properties.
Bush and the Republicans drive up the federal deficit to a record 10 trillion dollars.
Republicans throw money into Bush's war in Iraq and lose tens of billions of taxpayer dollars due to lax oversight and no accountability.
Republicans, like Grover Norquist, handcuff states with almost satanic-like, signed-in-blood anti-tax contracts that foster inflexibility, even as a state's economic fortunes change for the worse, endangering the state's fiscal health and the lives of citizens of that state, including children.
To put it simply, Republicans cannot be trusted with our money. Kick them all out.
Anybody notice how they didn't address the actual matter at hand? Just like Clark's statements about how crashing a plane has nothing to do with the presidency, CREW's complaint isn't something the gop is willing to address, so they attack the messenger. In this case, it's even more ridiculous. Coleman's people are whining that CREW only attacks the gop, just because they're the most corrupt. Of course, they probably don't even know that Democrats like Jack Murtha are on CREW's top 10 list of the most corrupt lawmakers.
Exotic Blue Lensman @ 3:
Edited: Welcome to Washington, Senator Ventura!
There.......that's more like it! =)
Eric Hussein Elite Almighty @ 30:
And they overlook that the GOP was in the saddle for most of the past 7 years.
i though Coleman's been quiet since George Galloway ripped him a new asshole on the senate floor back in '03 ... remember that?
The senator has reported every gift he has ever received.
http://tinyurl.com/4v7s6p
M
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