Is Norm Coleman under investigation in connection with the claims made in a lawsuit alleging that a longtime supporter, Nasser Kazeminy, used an insurance company that employs Coleman’s wife to illegally pass money to Coleman?
Could be…
Last month, a Minnesota good-government group sent letters to the FBI and the Senate ethics committee, calling on both to investigate the charges. Coleman quickly responded by declaring in a statement:
I not only welcome such an investigation, but I am eager to have it move forward immediately.
That forthright response made us wonder whether Coleman — who currently is locked in a knife-edge recount with Democrat Al Franken to hold onto his Senate seat — might already have been contacted by investigators, and was trying to get out ahead of the news by appearing to welcome a probe.
Both the FBI and the ethics committee have declined to provide any information about whether they’re looking into Coleman.
So we’ve been calling Coleman’s office to ask whether he’s heard from investigators. In fact, in the last few weeks, we’ve left at least ten detailed voicemail messages for Leroy Coleman, the senator’s Washington press secretary (and no relation) asking exactly that question. And we’ve received no response whatsoever.
Which is sort of curious. You’d assume that, had Coleman not been contacted, his press secretary would take 30 seconds to call us back and tell us that.
Draw your own conclusions…