Coleman Brief Silent on Franken Foray to Require Senate Election Certification

[babylonsister]

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000003119017

Coleman Brief Silent on Franken Foray to Require Senate Election Certification
By Emily Cadei, CQ Staff


Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman — who is appealing state and judicial rulings that he lost his bid for re-election to the Senate in 2008 — declined to fight a request by Democratic opponent Al Franken that would require Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty to certify a winner after the current phase of the legal battle plays out.

Coleman’s attorneys filed a brief Friday with the Minnesota Supreme Court, which will make a final and long-delayed determination of who won the Nov. 4 election. The brief replied to legal arguments made by Franken’s attorneys, who are seeking to persuade the state’s high court to uphold a trial court ruling that the Democratic challenger won the election by 312 votes out of 2.9 million cast.

But Coleman’s brief did not include any mention of the Franken team’s request that the court direct Pawlenty to certify Franken the winner should the court rule in the Democrat’s favor.

Coleman attorney Ben Ginsberg said the former incumbent’s legal team didn’t address the matter because “the court will do what the court does, and that’s fine by us.” Coleman, though, has not ruled out an appeal to the federal courts if his legal efforts in the state courts fail. Both Pawlenty and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie have refused to sign the necessary certification for a winner to be seated in the Senate until all legal appeals in the state have run their course. But only Ritchie, a Democrat, is certain to sign the certification if the state Supreme Court rules in Franken’s favor. Pawlenty has been ambiguous about whether he would do so if Coleman decided to take his legal case to the federal courts.

The state Supreme Court has set June 1 as the date to hear arguments from both sides in the case.

[TwilightZone]

1. I think he's running out of cash.

That being the case, I think he's saving up for one last appeal.

[babylonsister]

2. He also has the FBI hounding him...

FBI Investigating Coleman In Minnesota
Sam Stein
First Posted: 05-13-09 06:03 PM | Updated: 05-13-09 06:19 PM


The FBI is investigating allegations that former Senator Norm Coleman had clothing and other items purchased on his behalf by a longtime friend and businessman Nasser Kazeminy, according to a source in Minnesota who was interviewed recently by federal agents.

E.K. Watkins, a spokesman for the Minnesota FBI, would neither confirm nor deny the report. The source provided details of the interview to the Huffington Post, in addition to copies of business cards left by the agents.

The FBI has also been conducting interviews in Texas, according to media reports, in regards to different allegations that Kazeminy tried to steer $75,000 to Coleman through his wife's employer. Up to this point, there have not been reports of any FBI work taking place in Coleman's home state.

The Minnesota source said the FBI questioning focused on whether Kazeminy had purchased clothing on Coleman's behalf, reports of which surfaced in October. At the time, Coleman vehemently denied the allegations. "Nobody but me and my wife buy my suits," he said.

The source, who requested to speak anonymously to discuss the matter more frankly, said that payments made to the company that employed the former senator's wife, Laurie Coleman, were also addressed.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/13/fbi-investigat...

[TwilightZone]

3. Yeah, I saw that a couple days ago.

His wife's company is involved. It's kind of a bizarre story - what is it with Republicans and huge clothing bills?