Coleman Drops NRSC Bid To Benefit Of Potential Investigator

Sen. Norm Coleman announced on Thursday that he was dropping his bid to become the next chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- a position he had coveted for several years.

The move, his office said, was done so that the Minnesota Republican could focus on his recount campaign against Al Franken, in which Coleman has a scant 206 vote lead.

"Sen. Coleman has chosen to step back and focus his efforts on the recount. Going forward, he gives his full support to Sen. Cornyn," said his spokesman LeRoy Coleman (of no relation).

But there is a more nefarious reading one could take away from the announcement. Coleman's main competition for the NRSC post -- the individual who stood the most to gain from Coleman dropping his bid -- was Sen. John Cornyn.

The Texas Republican, in addition to being the likely future head of GOP Senate campaigning, is also the Republican chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics. And Coleman, currently, has a potentially damaging ethics-violation allegation starring him in the face.

Two lawsuits -- one in Texas the other in Delaware -- allege that the Senator and his wife took $75,000 in payments from a GOP benefactor that they failed to report on their personal financial disclosure form.

The ethics committee has already been urged to look into the allegation -- which Coleman denies -- by the good government group Alliance for a Better Minnesota. And a Democratic aide on the committee says that it is policy to look into any grievance that has been sent their way.

"Anytime the Senate Ethics Committee gets a complaint," she said, "we take a look at it."

Additionally, ethics lawyers who have followed the issue say that, should Coleman be reelected, he would more than likely be investigated by Congress. The allegation leveled at him, after all, is markedly similar to charges made (and proved) against Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Only now, the Republican chair who may oversee that investigation is the same individual whose path to the top of the NRSC Coleman just paved.

Comments

[MrWampler]

I just noticed something in the photo...

We all know the hair and teeth and (most likely) forehead are all fake. With his hand in front of his face, clearly his facial skin tone/color is too. Is anything about him real?

[meede]

Have to check to see who paid for it all -- sure wasn't Coleman. His reduced rent in Washington, clothes, etc.

[sueinmn]

Coleman/Bush Bush/Cheney Coleman/Cheney They are all in bed together big time. All crooks! Coleman has to go for good. Alaska would be a good place for him. Palin/Coleman ticket.The final nail in the repubs coffin.

[papapj]

Coleman is a very nasty piece of work, the only person I've seen handle him properly was an Englishman - George Galloway. He ripped him anorther a**hole when he revealed what a liar he was regarding the Iraq war debacle.


http://www.edwardsdavid.com/BushVideos/msnbc_uk_galloway_blisters_us_on_iraq_050517-01.rm

Aah that felt sooo good watching that

[Progress08]

Norm Coleman is such a little b!tch. I sure would love to go upside his head to watch him cower in the corner pi$$ing his pants.

[PuddyKatz]

Isn't Coleman planning to sue those bringing ethics charges. And they sue any judge or jury that finds against him, and then sue any policeman who attempts to enforce the judgement.
I hear he's planning to sue any voter who votes against him too.

[BushBites]

Hope Coleman gets the share a cell with Stevens.

[Airforce-1]

Sarah Help us tear down these walls. KEEP TALKING.

[Okieborn]

Hey Sarah keep up the good work !
Your High Pitched Rhetoric is bringing the walls of the Repubs. Down !!
And The Walls Came Tumbling Down ! !!!

[Syco]

that is a bit pathetic

[greatlardini]

How would this look on a resume--"I lost elections to Al Franken and Jesse "The Body Ventura."

[dimplesmile7]

You can already tell if Coleman lose, he is going to be a big baby sore loser. Just like the rest of the reich wingers.

[Igetitnow]

"reich wingers" - I love it!!

[Imzadi]

BACKROOM DEAL - You step down and give me the job I want - and I won't invesig@te you...

[Plashyfen]

Coleman is no stranger to the old back room. A refresher: Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota's current gov, was all set to run for Senate in 2002, but Dick Cheney called him personally, announced that Norm Coleman was the administration's preferred candidate and told T-Paw not to run. So Pawlenty ran for governor instead. Coleman won the Senate seat only because the beloved incumbent, Paul Wellstone, died just before the election in a plane crash.

[CR46]

And remember when our beloved Senator Wellstone died tragically under very strange circumstances days before the election, all the absentee ballots cast for him were thrown out and did not go to Walter Mondale who stepped up to take his place. If there was EVER a rigged election it was 6 yrs ago. There are books out there by legitimate people questioning the cause of that crash.

[meede]

Yea it is pretty difficult to push to head a committee on ethics -- WHEN YOU HAVE NONE. Backing off the bid for this should not be looked at as gaining 'preferential favor'. I hope after he loses his seat that he is still investigated and charged as it did happen while he was a sitting senator. Any 'mainstreet' person -- it would. Why not him.

[AbstractImp]

Hey Coleman ! . . . Did you pay for that (Law) suit ?

[CR46]

Now THAT is funyy !! LMAO!!

[TurkerB]

Amazing.

The RNC is talking about the need for change and the Republican Party wants to one of their biggest wingnuts (Sen. John Cornyn) and a ethically dubious senator (Norm Coleman) -- who may not win relection -- in discussion for the chair position. This party just does not get it -- they got their cajounes handed to them and they still want to continue doing the same dumb things as before with the same idiots would got them there.

Expect their time wondering the desert to be long and very, very dry......