stevens-colemanIt’s not all bad news for Norm Coleman. One reason Attorney General Eric Holder says he’s dropping charges against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is that Stevens is no longer a senator. Despite extraordinary legal efforts Coleman is also no longer a senator — but he is a player in two matters under federal investigation. That suggests a potential silver lining if Coleman loses his bid to regain his Senate seat. The FBI is probing allegations in a pair of civil lawsuits filed last fall that Coleman benefactor Nasser Kazeminy funneled $75,000 from a company he controlled to the company where Coleman’s wife Laurie works, intending to line the senator’s pockets. A second former executive in Kazeminy’s company gave sworn testimony about the plot last month.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a massive leak of data on donors and others — including credit card numbers — from Coleman’s campaign Web site in January.

A court ruling yesterday made Coleman’s legal challenge to Al Franken’s recount victory less likely to succeed.