By Glen Johnson
Associated Press
Updated: 09/01/2009
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley appears to be the first candidate in a special election for the Senate seat left open by the death of Edward Kennedy.
A woman who said she was representing Coakley picked up nomination papers from the Secretary of State today. Coakley aides did not immediately return calls or e-mails seeking confirmation of her candidacy.
Other Democrats said to be weighing a race include a Kennedy nephew, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II; plus U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Michael Capuano. Republicans include former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and state Sen. Scott Brown.
The primary is Dec. 8 and the special election Jan. 19.
Kennedy died last week of brain cancer at age 77.
Showing posts with label US Senate race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Senate race. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Enough about Senate race and Jackson, Pawlenty says
On his weekly radio show this morning, Pawlenty used the same words - "time to move on" - to describe the orgy of media coverage about Jackson's death and the epic political battle won this week by Sen.-elect Al Franken.
Star Tribune July 3, 2009
Gov. Tim Pawlenty has had it, with both Michael Jackson and the Minnesota U.S. Senate race.
On his weekly radio show Friday, Pawlenty used the same words -- "time to move on" -- to describe the orgy of media coverage about Jackson's death and the epic political battle won this week by Sen.-elect Al Franken.
Asked by a caller about his reaction to resolution of the death match between Franken and Norm Coleman, Pawlenty said, "I think we're all relieved the Senate race is over. There's been some frustration over how long it took."
Referring to his fellow Republican, Pawlenty added: "I wish it had come out the other way. [But I] respect the court process.
"[It's] time to move on." He opened his portion of the show talking, unprompted, about the Jackson coverage. "You can't get away from it. ... I've had enough of it.
"It's time to pay our respects and move on."
A lot of Americans share that sentiment: A poll conducted earlier this week found that nearly two-thirds said the wall-to-wall coverage has been too much.
BOB VON STERNBERG
Star Tribune July 3, 2009
Gov. Tim Pawlenty has had it, with both Michael Jackson and the Minnesota U.S. Senate race.
On his weekly radio show Friday, Pawlenty used the same words -- "time to move on" -- to describe the orgy of media coverage about Jackson's death and the epic political battle won this week by Sen.-elect Al Franken.
Asked by a caller about his reaction to resolution of the death match between Franken and Norm Coleman, Pawlenty said, "I think we're all relieved the Senate race is over. There's been some frustration over how long it took."
Referring to his fellow Republican, Pawlenty added: "I wish it had come out the other way. [But I] respect the court process.
"[It's] time to move on." He opened his portion of the show talking, unprompted, about the Jackson coverage. "You can't get away from it. ... I've had enough of it.
"It's time to pay our respects and move on."
A lot of Americans share that sentiment: A poll conducted earlier this week found that nearly two-thirds said the wall-to-wall coverage has been too much.
BOB VON STERNBERG
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
GOP activist seeks rejected absentee Senate ballots
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
June 9, 2009
GOP activist and blogger Michael Brodkorb has asked for copies of rejected absentee ballots from areas where for the most part Republican Norm Coleman ran strongly in the disputed November election for U.S. Senate.
Brodkorb filed a Minnesota Data Practices request with Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Olmsted, Sherburne and Washington counties, and in the cities of Edina, Minnetonka, Orono and Plymouth.
Statewide, local election officials rejected about 12,000 absentee ballots on Election Day for failing to meet legal requirements. Nearly 1,300 were eventually deemed legal after reconsideration by the officials, representatives of Coleman and fellow Senate candidate Al Franken, and judges who heard the U.S. Senate trial. But the rest remain excluded because the judges said they lacked evidence they were cast by registered voters or met other state law requirements.
Brodkorb said he wants to post copies of ballots from the selected areas on his website. It's part of an effort by Republicans to draw attention to rejected ballots they continue to argue should be reconsidered.
State law classifies sealed absentee ballots as nonpublic prior to their opening by an election judge. In cases where rejected ballot envelopes are unopened, Brodkorb wants election judges to open them to copy the ballots.
PAT DOYLE
June 9, 2009
GOP activist and blogger Michael Brodkorb has asked for copies of rejected absentee ballots from areas where for the most part Republican Norm Coleman ran strongly in the disputed November election for U.S. Senate.
Brodkorb filed a Minnesota Data Practices request with Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Olmsted, Sherburne and Washington counties, and in the cities of Edina, Minnetonka, Orono and Plymouth.
Statewide, local election officials rejected about 12,000 absentee ballots on Election Day for failing to meet legal requirements. Nearly 1,300 were eventually deemed legal after reconsideration by the officials, representatives of Coleman and fellow Senate candidate Al Franken, and judges who heard the U.S. Senate trial. But the rest remain excluded because the judges said they lacked evidence they were cast by registered voters or met other state law requirements.
Brodkorb said he wants to post copies of ballots from the selected areas on his website. It's part of an effort by Republicans to draw attention to rejected ballots they continue to argue should be reconsidered.
State law classifies sealed absentee ballots as nonpublic prior to their opening by an election judge. In cases where rejected ballot envelopes are unopened, Brodkorb wants election judges to open them to copy the ballots.
PAT DOYLE
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Minnesota's Senate race now comes down to 5 votes
By PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune
Last update: May 30, 2009
Now it comes down to five votes.
Almost seven months after a U.S. Senate election that was too close to call, five justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday on whether problems with absentee ballots justify reversing a lower-court ruling that declared DFLer Al Franken a 312-vote winner over Republican Norm Coleman.
Partisans across America will be watching, pronouncing judgment on a thousand blogs. The case may cast a blinding national spotlight on the state Supreme Court.
A decision upholding the lower-court ruling could end the protracted struggle and allow Franken to join the Senate, giving Democrats an invincible majority. A ruling for Coleman wouldn't return him to the Senate, but could keep his hopes alive and delay a final decision for months.
Minnesotans want the dispute to end, recent polls show. Most people say Coleman should concede. Nearly two-thirds believe that Franken ultimately will be declared the winner.
But several former Minnesota Supreme Court justices say current members will consider the case carefully, ignoring outside publicity and pressure.
"The impatience of the people just has to be put aside," said former Associate Justice Jim Gilbert, who served on the court for seven years with most of the justices hearing the case. "You want a correct decision at this stage, not a fast decision.
"They will not be reacting to talking heads or political action groups ... or anything like that," Gilbert said. "This decision has to stand the test of time. It will be gone over with a microscope."
Former Chief Justice Russell Anderson agrees.
"They understand every decision they make has the potential to go to the United States Supreme Court," Anderson said. "They're not going to decide this on the publicity. They're going to decide this on the law."
One former Minnesota justice knows what it's like to issue an opinion in a politically overheated election case.
Five days before the 1990 gubernatorial election, then-Associate Justice A.M. (Sandy) Keith, once one of the state's most prominent DFL politicians, agreed with others on the court on a key issue: that Arne Carlson should take the place of Jon Grunseth on the ballot after Grunseth withdrew as the Republican candidate for governor. The ruling paved the way for Carlson to defeat Gov. Rudy Perpich, a DFLer who had just elevated Keith to take over as chief justice.
"I still carry that with me," said Keith. "The governor [Perpich] thought I was responsible for it. He tried to take the position away from me -- thought about it. He wouldn't even come to my swearing-in.
"I think it was the right decision, and I never had any hesitation about that," Keith said.
While Monday's hearing will produce yet another dramatic climax in this seven-month saga, some believe it will be mostly anti-climactic for the justices, who weeks ago received detailed briefs from the lawyers in the case.
"These justices will have had over two weeks, including three weekends ... to work on the case," said Richard Hasen, an elections expert at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who has followed the case closely.
"It would not be surprising to me that they would come into the arguments with their minds mostly made up, [and] also with drafted opinion or opinions in front of them."
Keith said arguments delivered in court rarely swayed him in the end.
"In many instances, I had made up my mind in the sense I thought it was going in this direction," he said.
The court and the challenge
The court will have two fewer members hearing the case than its usual seven because Chief Justice Eric Magnuson and Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson sat on the state Canvassing Board for the recount and have declined to participate in related court proceedings.
Minnesota Supreme Court expert Peter Knapp, a William Mitchell law professor, has watched the remaining five in action. His thoughts:
• Alan Page: "Well aware of the importance common sense plays in the life of the law. You'll see opinions of his that remind the court, sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently ... that when a decision doesn't reflect that kind of common sense it may be out of kilter with where the law should go."
• Paul Anderson: "Really appreciates the value of history in shaping the law ... to a greater degree than some of the other justices."
• Lorie Gildea: Dissented when she "believed the court was making a decision that really belonged to the trial judge."
• Helen Meyer: "Writes opinions that I think reflect her experience and her values."
• Christopher Dietzen: A recent appointee with fewer written opinions, "It's much harder to tell ... anything about his particular cast of mind."
The five have ruled unanimously on earlier matters in the case, but split on the issue of allowing Coleman and Franken to veto the counting of some disputed absentee ballots. Paul Anderson and Page dissented.
On Monday, each side will have 25 minutes for arguments, with Coleman allowed an additional 10 minutes for rebuttal. He has the burden of proving that the three-judge panel that heard the trial made sufficient mistakes to overturn their verdict.
His legal team turns to Joe Friedberg to make their case, a veteran, high-profile criminal defense attorney but relative novice at election law. "Norm decided ... Joe is the best guy to make the argument," said Coleman legal spokesman Ben Ginsberg.
Franken will rely on Marc Elias, a national Democratic Party lawyer who specializes in election law.
Court experts will watch to see whether the justices direct more skeptical questions to either Coleman's or Franken's team. But such questioning could merely reflect a devil's advocate approach, in which judges interrogate the very side they are leaning toward.
Wide discretion
A Supreme Court decision could take days to months, with the prime options being upholding the lower court ruling for Franken or reversing it and ordering the panel to reconsider aspects of the case.
The court "cannot say that Coleman won," said University of Minnesota constitutional law expert Fred Morrison. "A Coleman 'victory' in the Supreme Court would mean several more weeks or months of more recounting-type stuff."
Aside from attacking the merits of Coleman's case, Franken argues that the Republican's key claims should be dismissed because he didn't bring them early enough in the trial.
"I think the justices will at least consider whether or not the public interest and timing is a relevant factor" before examining Coleman's claims, said Edward Foley, an election law expert at Ohio State University.
But Knapp said the high court has wide discretion to ignore procedural arguments and consider the main question: Were the election and recount fair and accurate enough to bring this dispute to an end?
Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210
Last update: May 30, 2009
Now it comes down to five votes.
Almost seven months after a U.S. Senate election that was too close to call, five justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday on whether problems with absentee ballots justify reversing a lower-court ruling that declared DFLer Al Franken a 312-vote winner over Republican Norm Coleman.
Partisans across America will be watching, pronouncing judgment on a thousand blogs. The case may cast a blinding national spotlight on the state Supreme Court.
A decision upholding the lower-court ruling could end the protracted struggle and allow Franken to join the Senate, giving Democrats an invincible majority. A ruling for Coleman wouldn't return him to the Senate, but could keep his hopes alive and delay a final decision for months.
Minnesotans want the dispute to end, recent polls show. Most people say Coleman should concede. Nearly two-thirds believe that Franken ultimately will be declared the winner.
But several former Minnesota Supreme Court justices say current members will consider the case carefully, ignoring outside publicity and pressure.
"The impatience of the people just has to be put aside," said former Associate Justice Jim Gilbert, who served on the court for seven years with most of the justices hearing the case. "You want a correct decision at this stage, not a fast decision.
"They will not be reacting to talking heads or political action groups ... or anything like that," Gilbert said. "This decision has to stand the test of time. It will be gone over with a microscope."
Former Chief Justice Russell Anderson agrees.
"They understand every decision they make has the potential to go to the United States Supreme Court," Anderson said. "They're not going to decide this on the publicity. They're going to decide this on the law."
One former Minnesota justice knows what it's like to issue an opinion in a politically overheated election case.
Five days before the 1990 gubernatorial election, then-Associate Justice A.M. (Sandy) Keith, once one of the state's most prominent DFL politicians, agreed with others on the court on a key issue: that Arne Carlson should take the place of Jon Grunseth on the ballot after Grunseth withdrew as the Republican candidate for governor. The ruling paved the way for Carlson to defeat Gov. Rudy Perpich, a DFLer who had just elevated Keith to take over as chief justice.
"I still carry that with me," said Keith. "The governor [Perpich] thought I was responsible for it. He tried to take the position away from me -- thought about it. He wouldn't even come to my swearing-in.
"I think it was the right decision, and I never had any hesitation about that," Keith said.
While Monday's hearing will produce yet another dramatic climax in this seven-month saga, some believe it will be mostly anti-climactic for the justices, who weeks ago received detailed briefs from the lawyers in the case.
"These justices will have had over two weeks, including three weekends ... to work on the case," said Richard Hasen, an elections expert at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who has followed the case closely.
"It would not be surprising to me that they would come into the arguments with their minds mostly made up, [and] also with drafted opinion or opinions in front of them."
Keith said arguments delivered in court rarely swayed him in the end.
"In many instances, I had made up my mind in the sense I thought it was going in this direction," he said.
The court and the challenge
The court will have two fewer members hearing the case than its usual seven because Chief Justice Eric Magnuson and Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson sat on the state Canvassing Board for the recount and have declined to participate in related court proceedings.
Minnesota Supreme Court expert Peter Knapp, a William Mitchell law professor, has watched the remaining five in action. His thoughts:
• Alan Page: "Well aware of the importance common sense plays in the life of the law. You'll see opinions of his that remind the court, sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently ... that when a decision doesn't reflect that kind of common sense it may be out of kilter with where the law should go."
• Paul Anderson: "Really appreciates the value of history in shaping the law ... to a greater degree than some of the other justices."
• Lorie Gildea: Dissented when she "believed the court was making a decision that really belonged to the trial judge."
• Helen Meyer: "Writes opinions that I think reflect her experience and her values."
• Christopher Dietzen: A recent appointee with fewer written opinions, "It's much harder to tell ... anything about his particular cast of mind."
The five have ruled unanimously on earlier matters in the case, but split on the issue of allowing Coleman and Franken to veto the counting of some disputed absentee ballots. Paul Anderson and Page dissented.
On Monday, each side will have 25 minutes for arguments, with Coleman allowed an additional 10 minutes for rebuttal. He has the burden of proving that the three-judge panel that heard the trial made sufficient mistakes to overturn their verdict.
His legal team turns to Joe Friedberg to make their case, a veteran, high-profile criminal defense attorney but relative novice at election law. "Norm decided ... Joe is the best guy to make the argument," said Coleman legal spokesman Ben Ginsberg.
Franken will rely on Marc Elias, a national Democratic Party lawyer who specializes in election law.
Court experts will watch to see whether the justices direct more skeptical questions to either Coleman's or Franken's team. But such questioning could merely reflect a devil's advocate approach, in which judges interrogate the very side they are leaning toward.
Wide discretion
A Supreme Court decision could take days to months, with the prime options being upholding the lower court ruling for Franken or reversing it and ordering the panel to reconsider aspects of the case.
The court "cannot say that Coleman won," said University of Minnesota constitutional law expert Fred Morrison. "A Coleman 'victory' in the Supreme Court would mean several more weeks or months of more recounting-type stuff."
Aside from attacking the merits of Coleman's case, Franken argues that the Republican's key claims should be dismissed because he didn't bring them early enough in the trial.
"I think the justices will at least consider whether or not the public interest and timing is a relevant factor" before examining Coleman's claims, said Edward Foley, an election law expert at Ohio State University.
But Knapp said the high court has wide discretion to ignore procedural arguments and consider the main question: Were the election and recount fair and accurate enough to bring this dispute to an end?
Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210
Friday, May 29, 2009
Ritchie is sued over voter-registration records
A group says that updates to Minnesota's registration system are lacking and that '08 vote totals exceed voters in the system by 406,000.
By PATRICIA LOPEZ, Star Tribune
Last update: May 28, 2009 - 9:17 PM
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is being sued in the state Supreme Court by the group Minnesota Majority, several Republican legislators and others over alleged vote discrepancies in the 2008 election.
The suit, filed Thursday, says that the state's voter registration system has not been adequately updated and that vote totals from canvassing boards exceed the stated number of registered voters by 406,398. Ritchie disputed the claims.
"We don't want to take this step," said Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, referring to the lawsuit at a State Capitol news conference. "But it is the last step in a democracy."
The suit is based on research by Minnesota Majority, a "traditional values" advocacy group that compared the statewide registration system to the 2008 State Canvassing Board report.
By federal law, the voter registration system is supposed to be updated immediately after an election, and state law says updates should occur within six weeks. But, according to Minnesota Majority, 17 counties hadn't filed any reports to the registration system, and another eight, including Hennepin and Ramsey, reported more ballots than they had registered voters. Election officials in the counties are also targets of the suit.
Ritchie responds
Ritchie said Thursday that his office updated voter registration lists in April and continues to do so. "All lists are updated every day of the week," he said. "People die, people move. The counties continuously update the lists."
He said the goal was to match voter registration and the certified
canvassing board totals within 1,000 names. "You'll never get a perfect correlation between the two," he said. "We were at 40,000 in April. We're at about 30,000 now."
Ritchie deflected more detailed questions to the counties themselves. "You'll have to ask the counties about their own numbers," he said.
Ritchie said he didn't know why some counties turned up with zero registered voters in Minnesota Majority's report. "Their number is so far different from the actual number in the database that it's not possible for me to speak to it," he said.
Aitkin County was listed in the report as having zero registered voters and 9,455 certified ballots. But Auditor Kirk Peysar said his county had reported its registered voters and that the number matched the ballots.
In St. Louis County, Elections Director Paul Tynjala said the county's results also were up to date. "I have no idea why they wouldn't show up," he said.
Minnesota Majority's research showed the county, a DFL stronghold, with 119,435 certified ballots and zero registered voters posted in the system.
"Something's wrong there, because all of our updates have been done since January," Tynjala said. "If they weren't, the secretary of state would have gotten ahold of us right away."
Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, a former secretary of state, isn't part of the lawsuit but said she supports the action. She said there was "no excuse" for not updating the voter registration system and reconciling ballot discrepancies six months after one of the most drawn-out and heavily litigated U.S. Senate races in history.
Kiffmeyer said that the group wasn't accusing anyone of fraud, but that until the number of registered voters and number of ballots cast are reconciled, "we don't know what went on. The potential is there."
Jeff Davis, president of Minnesota Majority, said his group had tried to work with Ritchie's office since November to reconcile the numbers but had requests for information "ignored or dismissed."
The GOP legislators listed as plaintiffs in the suit are Buesgens and Reps. Tom Emmer and Matt Dean. Minnesota Majority said Sens. David Senjem and Warren Limmer also are plaintiffs.
A woman holding a "Revote Coleman '09" sign was at Thursday's news conference, but Davis said that she wasn't officially part of the group and that the lawsuit wasn't seeking specific action in Republican Norm Coleman's appeal of the U.S. Senate election trial. In that trial, a three-judge panel ruled that DFLer Al Franken finished 312 votes ahead of Coleman. The state Supreme Court will hear that case, with oral arguments Monday.
Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288
By PATRICIA LOPEZ, Star Tribune
Last update: May 28, 2009 - 9:17 PM
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is being sued in the state Supreme Court by the group Minnesota Majority, several Republican legislators and others over alleged vote discrepancies in the 2008 election.
The suit, filed Thursday, says that the state's voter registration system has not been adequately updated and that vote totals from canvassing boards exceed the stated number of registered voters by 406,398. Ritchie disputed the claims.
"We don't want to take this step," said Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, referring to the lawsuit at a State Capitol news conference. "But it is the last step in a democracy."
The suit is based on research by Minnesota Majority, a "traditional values" advocacy group that compared the statewide registration system to the 2008 State Canvassing Board report.
By federal law, the voter registration system is supposed to be updated immediately after an election, and state law says updates should occur within six weeks. But, according to Minnesota Majority, 17 counties hadn't filed any reports to the registration system, and another eight, including Hennepin and Ramsey, reported more ballots than they had registered voters. Election officials in the counties are also targets of the suit.
Ritchie responds
Ritchie said Thursday that his office updated voter registration lists in April and continues to do so. "All lists are updated every day of the week," he said. "People die, people move. The counties continuously update the lists."
He said the goal was to match voter registration and the certified
canvassing board totals within 1,000 names. "You'll never get a perfect correlation between the two," he said. "We were at 40,000 in April. We're at about 30,000 now."
Ritchie deflected more detailed questions to the counties themselves. "You'll have to ask the counties about their own numbers," he said.
Ritchie said he didn't know why some counties turned up with zero registered voters in Minnesota Majority's report. "Their number is so far different from the actual number in the database that it's not possible for me to speak to it," he said.
Aitkin County was listed in the report as having zero registered voters and 9,455 certified ballots. But Auditor Kirk Peysar said his county had reported its registered voters and that the number matched the ballots.
In St. Louis County, Elections Director Paul Tynjala said the county's results also were up to date. "I have no idea why they wouldn't show up," he said.
Minnesota Majority's research showed the county, a DFL stronghold, with 119,435 certified ballots and zero registered voters posted in the system.
"Something's wrong there, because all of our updates have been done since January," Tynjala said. "If they weren't, the secretary of state would have gotten ahold of us right away."
Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, a former secretary of state, isn't part of the lawsuit but said she supports the action. She said there was "no excuse" for not updating the voter registration system and reconciling ballot discrepancies six months after one of the most drawn-out and heavily litigated U.S. Senate races in history.
Kiffmeyer said that the group wasn't accusing anyone of fraud, but that until the number of registered voters and number of ballots cast are reconciled, "we don't know what went on. The potential is there."
Jeff Davis, president of Minnesota Majority, said his group had tried to work with Ritchie's office since November to reconcile the numbers but had requests for information "ignored or dismissed."
The GOP legislators listed as plaintiffs in the suit are Buesgens and Reps. Tom Emmer and Matt Dean. Minnesota Majority said Sens. David Senjem and Warren Limmer also are plaintiffs.
A woman holding a "Revote Coleman '09" sign was at Thursday's news conference, but Davis said that she wasn't officially part of the group and that the lawsuit wasn't seeking specific action in Republican Norm Coleman's appeal of the U.S. Senate election trial. In that trial, a three-judge panel ruled that DFLer Al Franken finished 312 votes ahead of Coleman. The state Supreme Court will hear that case, with oral arguments Monday.
Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288
Thursday, May 14, 2009
FBI probe of relationship between Coleman and major donor continues
By TONY KENNEDY, Star Tribune
Last update: May 14, 2009 - 7:56 PM
The FBI continues to investigate the relationship between former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and a close friend who has been a major political donor, according to a source who was questioned by the FBI.
The source, who asked not to be identified, said the interview with two FBI agents took place within the past two weeks. They asked questions about an allegation that Bloomington financier Nasser Kazeminy paid for suits and other items for Coleman and his wife, Laurie, at Nieman Marcus in Minneapolis.
"They said they've been talking to a lot of people,'' the source said Thursday.
Depending on if and when the alleged purchases occurred, the arrangement could violate Senate rules regulating gifts to members. Kazeminy is a wealthy businessman whose friendship with Coleman dates to when Coleman was mayor of St. Paul. Kazeminy has been a major contributor to Coleman's campaigns and to the Republican Party.
In the two weeks before the November U.S. Senate election, two lawsuits were filed, accusing Kazeminy of funneling payments from a Texas company he controls to a Minneapolis insurance firm where Laurie Coleman was employed to benefit the Colemans.
Spokesmen for Kazeminy and Coleman have vehemently denied the allegations.
Coleman's spokesman, Tom Erickson, was asked Thursday whether the FBI has questioned Norm or Laurie Coleman. The spokesman gave the following written response: "The Senator called for an investigation by the appropriate authorities, and has promised to cooperate fully with them. To that end, any further comment is not necessary.''
The Huffington Post reported that the possibility exists that the sole target of the FBI's work is Kazeminy and not Coleman. In the civil suits connected to Kazeminy's Texas company, Deep Marine Technology, Kazeminy is alleged to have steered company money to benefit Coleman and others outside the company. As part of those suits, former Deep Marine CEO Paul McKim alleged that he was forced to overlook $75,000 in payments to Minneapolis-based Hays Companies, the employer of Coleman's wife. Hays has denied any wrongdoing.
Tony Kennedy• 612-673-4213
Last update: May 14, 2009 - 7:56 PM
The FBI continues to investigate the relationship between former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and a close friend who has been a major political donor, according to a source who was questioned by the FBI.
The source, who asked not to be identified, said the interview with two FBI agents took place within the past two weeks. They asked questions about an allegation that Bloomington financier Nasser Kazeminy paid for suits and other items for Coleman and his wife, Laurie, at Nieman Marcus in Minneapolis.
"They said they've been talking to a lot of people,'' the source said Thursday.
Depending on if and when the alleged purchases occurred, the arrangement could violate Senate rules regulating gifts to members. Kazeminy is a wealthy businessman whose friendship with Coleman dates to when Coleman was mayor of St. Paul. Kazeminy has been a major contributor to Coleman's campaigns and to the Republican Party.
In the two weeks before the November U.S. Senate election, two lawsuits were filed, accusing Kazeminy of funneling payments from a Texas company he controls to a Minneapolis insurance firm where Laurie Coleman was employed to benefit the Colemans.
Spokesmen for Kazeminy and Coleman have vehemently denied the allegations.
Coleman's spokesman, Tom Erickson, was asked Thursday whether the FBI has questioned Norm or Laurie Coleman. The spokesman gave the following written response: "The Senator called for an investigation by the appropriate authorities, and has promised to cooperate fully with them. To that end, any further comment is not necessary.''
The Huffington Post reported that the possibility exists that the sole target of the FBI's work is Kazeminy and not Coleman. In the civil suits connected to Kazeminy's Texas company, Deep Marine Technology, Kazeminy is alleged to have steered company money to benefit Coleman and others outside the company. As part of those suits, former Deep Marine CEO Paul McKim alleged that he was forced to overlook $75,000 in payments to Minneapolis-based Hays Companies, the employer of Coleman's wife. Hays has denied any wrongdoing.
Tony Kennedy• 612-673-4213
Thursday, April 16, 2009
C' mon, T-Paw make up your mind!
Governor Tim Pawlenty need to make his mind up on what he want to do with US Senate election. Minnesota Citizens like myself deserve two US Senators. other 49 states that have 2 senators which isn't fair. I don't care if it's Franken or Coleman. I feel that Senator Amy Klobuchar is overwhelmed and stressed out with huge pile of casework and constituent workload.
Since he is one who sign election certificate along Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, he just need go ahead and sign it so we could have 2nd US Senator. We need fair representation. I am very frustrated just like Minnesota citizens. We are not Florida. Mark Ritchie isn't Katherine Harris, he is doing good job and he have been very careful with the process.
Norm and Tim, If you are reading this: I know we don't discuss politics but we all need to get over this and join other 49 states that have two US Senators so the US Senate could have full quorum in case if there need to be tie-breaker. No hard feelings but we need to get what Minnesota Citizens deserves: two US Senators. You need to allow Amy Klobuchar take a break since as I mention she have huge pile of caseloads that one Senator really can't get all done at once.
Since he is one who sign election certificate along Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, he just need go ahead and sign it so we could have 2nd US Senator. We need fair representation. I am very frustrated just like Minnesota citizens. We are not Florida. Mark Ritchie isn't Katherine Harris, he is doing good job and he have been very careful with the process.
Norm and Tim, If you are reading this: I know we don't discuss politics but we all need to get over this and join other 49 states that have two US Senators so the US Senate could have full quorum in case if there need to be tie-breaker. No hard feelings but we need to get what Minnesota Citizens deserves: two US Senators. You need to allow Amy Klobuchar take a break since as I mention she have huge pile of caseloads that one Senator really can't get all done at once.
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