Norm Coleman's Campaign Conflicts
from The Nation
posted by ARI BERMAN on 09/08/2008
John McCain and Sarah Palin weren't the only big winners at last week's Republican Convention. Behind-the-scenes, the convention was also a major boon for Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman and his political allies. Coleman helped bring the RNC to St. Paul--where he used to be mayor--and attended a dazzling array of fundraisers and closed-door parties for Republican donors. His longtime confidante, political consultant and lobbyist Jeff Larson, was named CEO of the convention's host committee, making a pretty penny off the week. "We're going to make sure our donors get in front of all the right people and the media, to get plenty of exposure," Larson said last month.
Coleman and Larson have an unusually tight relationship. Larson owns a townhouse in Washington, which also houses a branch of his consulting business, FLS Connect, and Coleman lives in the basement. Coleman had no lease until July 2008 according to National Journal, a year after he moved in, and now pays $600 a month for the one-bedroom in Capitol Hill, well below market value. Accepting an apartment from a Washington lobbyist for free or below market value is a violation of Congressional ethics laws. Watchdog groups like Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington have urged the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Coleman's housing arrangement. Wrote the Washington Post: "Coleman appears to have a good friend in Larson and a great place to live in D.C. Now he probably needs a good lawyer." [See update below for Coleman's response.]
(Continued here, with video.)
posted by ARI BERMAN on 09/08/2008
John McCain and Sarah Palin weren't the only big winners at last week's Republican Convention. Behind-the-scenes, the convention was also a major boon for Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman and his political allies. Coleman helped bring the RNC to St. Paul--where he used to be mayor--and attended a dazzling array of fundraisers and closed-door parties for Republican donors. His longtime confidante, political consultant and lobbyist Jeff Larson, was named CEO of the convention's host committee, making a pretty penny off the week. "We're going to make sure our donors get in front of all the right people and the media, to get plenty of exposure," Larson said last month.
Coleman and Larson have an unusually tight relationship. Larson owns a townhouse in Washington, which also houses a branch of his consulting business, FLS Connect, and Coleman lives in the basement. Coleman had no lease until July 2008 according to National Journal, a year after he moved in, and now pays $600 a month for the one-bedroom in Capitol Hill, well below market value. Accepting an apartment from a Washington lobbyist for free or below market value is a violation of Congressional ethics laws. Watchdog groups like Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington have urged the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Coleman's housing arrangement. Wrote the Washington Post: "Coleman appears to have a good friend in Larson and a great place to live in D.C. Now he probably needs a good lawyer." [See update below for Coleman's response.]
(Continued here, with video.)
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