This is fishy:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a client of Larson’s communications consulting firm FLS-Connect, has begun running a 30-second spot ridiculing Franken’s failure to report his stand-up income in 17 states.
…
FLS Connect, which has done about $1.5 million of business with Coleman’s campaign, has offices in the Larson-owned Washington townhouse where the Minnesota Democrat-turned-Republican lays his head during session.
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Federal law prohibits Coleman from coordinating campaign expenditures with outside groups like the chamber.
Put simply, Coleman outsources much of his campaign operations to FLS Connect, owned by Jeff Larson. Jeff Larson also happens to be Coleman’s landlord. FLS Connect’s client is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is putting out anti-Franken ads.
This sure stinks like corruption.
UPDATE: Franken’s campaign released a statement about it:
Norm Coleman literally lives in the office of the Chamber’s consulting firm. So forgive us if we find it a little hard to believe that there was no coordination here. But that kind of ethics lapse is business as usual for the Special Interest Senator.
Update [Sean]: I have nothing new to add, just bumped it because you have to wonder aside from a really clutch landlord — what else has Jeff Larson done for Norm?
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Dirty, dirty dirty.
Wow, Franken screwed up his taxes? I hadn’t heard that yet.
I assumed the rethugs would have more on Franken, but maybe they don’t. Maybe they used all their good material last spring.
I’m not surprised that the Chamber of Commerce is paying for anti-Franken ads. Last month I attended a Coleman meet and greet at Dunn Brothers in Eden Prairie. During introductions of local politicians (Paulsen, Loon), Coleman pointed our Jenifer Loon’s husband, Doug Loon, and noted that he works for the US Chamber of Commerce and followed that up with “and he’s done so much for us.” Naively I assumed that was “us” as in taxpayers, community - not “us” as in “the GOP”. One other little caveat that Norm forgot to mention was that Doug Loon is a registered lobbyist for the US Chamber of Commerce (not just “works” for them) and that his perfect little wife who is running in 42B to replace Erik Paulsen has spent years in DC as a paid lobbyist for the credit collection agencies….protecting their rights to squeeze blood from turnips. Prior to that gig Jenifer Loon was a paid lobbyist with the Associated Building Contractors - working hard to break unions with “merit shop” policies. It’s amazing to see the party of Abramhof cozying up to more lobbyists without a qualm! So, here, in Eden Prairie you get the funder (Doug Loon - US Chamber of Commerce - cuddled up to Norm) and his wife the candidate (Jenifer Loon - ACA International paid lobbyist - running for the Minnesota house). The GOP really doesn’t see anything wrong in lobbying and apparently credit collection agencies need help because they don’t have enough rights to ruin your life already.
Ya gotta love a guy like Jeff “Landlord” Larson, who cheated on his property taxes, criticizin’ someone else’s tax problems.
Then ya got Team Smokescreen spokesman Mark Drake promisin’ the media at a presser that he’d check with Team Smokescreen, and get back to the media about about the utility bills at ol’ Smokescreen’s crash pad - to no surprise, he hasn’t.
Prior to that, Team Smokescreen spokesman Tom Steward claimed “our research shows” Normie is payin’ fair market rent, but then never shows the research.
So it should be no surprise that a guy that would cheat on his property taxes - Jeff Larson - would cheat on campaign rules; and it should be no surprise that a cheater would be associated with a campaign who have spokesmen like Drake and Steward.
I can hear Team Smokescreen now: “you can TRUST us!!!”
Yeah, “right.”
PEEEUW!
“you don’t have to look and you don’t have to see ‘cause you can feel it in your olfactory…”
Louden Wainright III
Here in Eden Prairie we don’t want a debt collection professional lobbyist representing us in St Paul. It even sounds slimy to say that…
A lobbyist of the Abramoff variety?! Just what we need, a lobbyist like Jack Abramoff representing us in St Paul. Sd 42 can do so much better.
According to Mark Nickolas at Huffington Post, Abramoff is not only scheduled to be sentenced next Thursday afternoon, September 4th - Abramoff is scheduled to tesify, too.
How exciting is that? Abramoff taking the witness stand the same afternoon McCain takes the stage at the RNC?
The timing couldn’t be better.
Well, the timing actually may be worse for the Republicans. Hurricane Gustav is due to hit land someone along the Gulf Coast on the same day that W, Cheney and Bush hit the Xcel Center. Heckofajob, Gustav.