Cash from Toussies is Coleman’s second brush with pardon scandals in six weeks
Thursday, December 25, 2008 at 7:13 pm
- 4 Comments
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman received $2,300 from the family of Isaac Robert Toussie. Toussie, who is convicted of fraud, had his Dec. 23 presidential pardon revoked the next day by President Bush. Bush’s reversal came after large donations from Toussie’s father and other family members to the Republican Party and Republican candidates, including Coleman, came to light.
It’s the second politically unpalatable presidential pardon in six weeks to touch Coleman, who remains in the grips of a drawn-out recount in his bid for re-election against Democratic challenger Al Franken. The Minnesota Independent broke the news last month that soon after taking office in 2003, Coleman wrote letters of support for the pardon application of Frank Vennes, Jr. A convicted money launderer now best known as an associate of accused Ponzi schemer Tom Petters, Vennes was also a donor to Coleman’s 2002 campaign fund and to political action committees that supported Coleman.
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann revoked her support of a pardon for Vennes after the Petters scandal broke this year. She also redirected a portion of Vennes’s contributions to her campaign to Minnesota Teen Challenge, a faith-based drug treatment program that’s been a favorite of Minnesota politicians.
4 Comments
Comment posted December 25, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
Coleman is a stinkin’ crook! Hurry up & get Franken in there.
Comment posted December 26, 2008 @ 6:35 am
until we find a way to limit lobbying, and, the inordinate amount of money sspent by politicians, this kind of thing is going to keep happening. it is nothing new, unfortunately the numeber of politicians who are not tainted by things like this is pretty small. norm, is just the latest example.
Comment posted March 18, 2009 @ 10:47 am
Yes, if your nickname is “Scooter” or one of those other cute, prep school names, you can get a pardon courtesy of your fat-cat Republican cronies. And when these Repiglican crooks ring Coleman’s phone, he’s on their doorstep in five minutes, salivating like mad like one of Pavlov’s dogs.
Comment posted June 22, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
The activities of all Toussie associates and political affiliates should be reviewed with a microscope .There is with out doubt a grand paradigm of activity that boarders on what one might term criminal conspiracy to the first degree .Please take note, all Toussie family documents pertaining to a 30 miillion dollar H.U.D. scandal as well as other fraudulent activity and governmental collusion brought by attorney general Elliot Spitzer against Toussie and Suffolk county ( Long Island,N.Y.) were mysteriously destroyed on September 11,2001 in building # 7 world trade center! there by thwarting justice!!!! Lucky break? can some one explain this to me?
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