MNpublius.com

This morning, The Nation’s Ari Berman wrote on Norm Coleman and Jeff Larson’s shady relationship and conflicts of interest:

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.”

Coleman is locked in a tough re-election fight against comedian-turned-politician Al Franken, with polls showing a virtual dead heat. Coleman’s campaign and political action campaign have paid FLS Connect almost $645,000 in consulting fees in 2007-2008, and Larson is the treasurer of his PAC. Two of Larson’s clients, the Chamber of Commerce and National Federation of Independent Business, have begun running tv and print ads against Franken…

The whole piece is a good read. There’s a lot more to this story.