Norm Coleman's fancy home renovations looking a lot like Ted Stevens'
By David Neiwert Thursday Dec 18, 2008 5:30am
Norm Coleman, the junior Republican senator from Minnesota, probably would like to focus solely on his recount battle with Al Franken these days. But it seems he has other problems to deal with as well:
The timing and cost of Sen. Norm Coleman's home renovation has again raised questions about allegations that an Edina, Minn. businessman funneled money to Norm Coleman's wife Laurie.
The FBI is now reportedly investigating the allegations that Nasser Kazeminy tried to funnel $75,000 in campaign contributions through the Senator's wife. By why would a U.S. Senator, who makes about $180,000 a year, need the money?
... The remodeled kitchen was the backdrop for some of the Senator's campaign commercials. FOX 9 learned the woman in charge of the project was Shari Wilsey, an interior designer. Wilsey, along with her husband Roger, are longtime friends of the Coleman's and financial contributors to the Senator's campaigns.
The Wilsey's even hosted a fundraiser for Senator Coleman during the Republican National Convention at their Summit Ave mansion, just blocks from the Coleman's.
Two lawsuits allege that in spring of 2007, Edina businessman Nasser Kazeminy began a series of $25,000 payments to Coleman from Deep Marine Technology, a company he controlled in Texas, to Hays Companies, the Minnesota Insurance company where Laurie Coleman works.
... While Coleman didn't agree to sit down for a interview, his campaign did agree to share billing records of the remodeling project. Original projections in 2006 estimated a cost of $328,000, but four months later, the construction cost was estimated at $414,000, over-budget by $86,000.
During that time is when, the lawsuit alleges, Kazeminy was trying to get money to Coleman.
According to the lawsuits, in March of 2007, Kazeminy said that "U.S. Senators don't make s---" and he was going to try to find a way to get money to Coleman.
You can see the Wilsey donations here.
It's noteworthy that Coleman is getting lawyered up to deal with this case. Obviously, he's taking it seriously.
It certainly looks like Coleman's pulling a Ted Stevens number with his home renovations -- getting refinanced for potentially more than the entire house is worth and getting a second story put on it. It will be entertaining to see what the FBI learns.
[H/t to Heather too.]
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Has it come to late to help Frankenstein?
That's pronounced Frankanschteen!
Do you have to be a crook to be a republican or does it just help?
Where is everyone? Are they waiting in line to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas?
for the old Republican Senate... to match Bush's presidential legacy:
SCOUNDRELS and HYPOCRITES... feathering their own nests with ill-gotten gain at the PUBLIC expense.
REALLY hard to find the story when you go to the front page. Of course blago stories are right out there and easy to find.
Republicans hate trial lawyer for us. They love them for themselves.
I mean, face it, the Republicans spent $65 million dollars with Ken Starr and his lot in the conspiracy to put an end to the last good President (Clinton) over a Blow Job with a consenting adult female.
Their morality is laughable.
They made a big deal out of a BJ. But when it comes to starting a WAR of on LIES, thats OK! The Dem Gov of Il keeps 10 million from kids Hospital, but when bush VETOES a helth bill for 45 million kids, thats OK! When dick says, I said ok TORTURE, thats ok! ted stevens,convicted of 7 counts, he can run for relection, thats ok! carl rove says fuck off to the senate, I will not come in,thats ok!
WTF is going on.
"Two Sets of Laws."
A draconian set of laws for working people:
"AHAH! Smoking a reefer, eh?!? Ten years in jail!"
Law Lite (TM) for the wealthy:
"Here's your Viagra and Oxycontin Mr. Limbaugh, enjoy your stay in Santo Domingo!"
Especially about how we persecute and prosecute for Marijuana
and yet advertising is all over the Television about Viagra, Cialis, some other stuff to make you "equipment" grow larger, but use any drug they have deemed illegal (which actually means "not taxed") and you go to jail for longer than the guy who just ripped off the world for $50 Billion dollars.
A bit of chutzpah which may or may not make it past the FEC. Vitter tried this tactic too. Completely scummy, of course.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081217/pl_...
OT Sorry, but I just read on BuzzFlash that Obama has chosen self-righteous homophobe Warren for the inaugural invocation ceremony.
I think that it is a bad time to reach out to these hypocrites.
I'm beyond sick and outraged at these post-modern witch doctors of hate.
...Coleman is the Senior senator. He took office in 2003. Democrat Amy Klobuchar was elected to the senate in 2006, making her the junior senator.
Boy they sure got screwed on that crummy job didn't they?
That house looks like a slum.
<Yawn>
Business as usual.
and then to see Normy lose his job and his house! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
$400,000 to remodel a kitchen? WTF, did that include the cost of buying the Salvadoran slaves to keep the fires burning?
It's a little hard for me to grok a $400,000 remodel when I couldn't even afford a $400,000 *house*. I wonder how many other Americans might find this a bit excessive or is it OK since we're supposed to idolize our wealthy betters?
If the kitchen in question is in the background, they totally got screwed. Even with top of the line everything, it shouldn't come to half that much (my husband does kitchen & bath designing & remodeling).
More likely, just another notch in the 'pay to play' game.
a more serious Democratic Candidate, we would long since have bidden goodbye to Senator Coleman.
An intensely unfunny comedian was never the best choice to challenge an incumbent, even in a state which elected Jesse V.
It's fashionable to rip on Franken (something I'm not entirely sure I understand, given the comedians we have in either chamber at the moment) but we had the chance to send what you might call a "serious" candidate. It's called a primary, and Franken won it.
Al is a serious candidate. He is better informed than 90% of the clowns in Washington now!
Al Franken heading for a win?
"The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports today that its own analysis of challenged ballots in the state's you-can't-believe-it's-this-close U.S. Senate race shows Democrat Al Franken erasing Republican incumbent Norm Coleman's lead.
In fact, Franken would hold a 246-vote lead, based on the analysis.
The Minnesota Canvassing Board meets today at noon to begin reviewing 2,260 remaining challenges. As of now, Coleman holds a 192-vote lead.
The Associated Press, by the way, has come to the same conclusion as the Star Tribune. And that is, Franken could easily pull this race out."
... my 53-year-old house is in desparate need of remodeling, a second floor, weatherproofing, and solarizing, but I can barely make the payments on our first.
I need to run for something...
What's one more busted Reslug criminal??
There is a way out of the wilderness. But it will require humility, vision, positive alternatives and a willingness to fight for what makes America great."
I say!
I don't think anyone in the republican party knows what makes America great.
Like mcame/palin they will say it's the people but they will say it only of 25% of the people, when in reality it is the other 75% of the American people that have made America great. The 25% are the liars, the fake christains, the fake conservatives, the republicans, Who's leaders use government as a way to acheive personal wealth and power at the expense of the rest of the country.
The people the republicans count on are the jaded, less intelligent, maybe that was the wrong word, it's not a lack of intelligence but more of a lack of curiosity, coupled with an almost built in, or maybe just ingrained, willingness to believe anything said; as long as it is accompanied by an invocation of a similar religious Ideal. Their is no questioning in their minds from that point forward!
Boot these guys like coleman to the curb. I am not a big Al Frankin fan but I feel like Al has more then his own self interests at heart.
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