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Coleman bid to have campaign pay personal lawyers draws formal objection

By Chris Steller | 05.19.09 | 1:26 pm

crew-logoNorm Coleman shouldn’t be able to use campaign funds to pay lawyers for work related to cases in which he’s not a defendant and hasn’t even been called as a witness. That’s what Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics…

Paulsen campaign paid his wife, nicked Dem rival for not having one

By Chris Steller | 05.13.09 | 3:04 pm

U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s campaign paid his wife more than $10,000 in the last five months of 2008, according to Federal Election Commission records. (No such revelations about his DFL opponent, a bachelor.)

Coleman cites media in plea to use campaign cash for civil suits

By Chris Steller | 05.13.09 | 12:23 pm

Norm Coleman used media coverage of his dealings with friend and benefactor Nasser Kazeminy to argue to the Federal Election Commission that he should be able to spend campaign cash to fight two lawsuits that implicate him in a cash-funneling scheme.

Coleman asks FEC if he can pay civil lawsuit costs with campaign cash

By Chris Steller | 05.12.09 | 1:25 pm

Norm ColemanNorm Coleman has formally asked the Federal Election Commission: Can his campaign pay for lawyers to fight civil-suit allegations that implicate him in a cash-funneling scheme?

Senate spat: Franken brief due today, GOP raises recount funds for Coleman

By Chris Steller | 05.11.09 | 10:46 am

coleman-frog-frankenThe latest in the spat over Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat: Al Franken is due to file his reply to Norm Coleman’s election-contest appeal at the state Supreme Court today. Senate GOP leaders raised money at a Washington, D.C., steakhouse for…

FEC ruling on use of campaign funds could help Coleman

By Chris Steller | 05.07.09 | 3:41 pm

coleman-tiny-headNorm Coleman has wondered whether he could spend campaign cash on lawyers to fight charges that a donor secretly funneled him $75,000. No answer on that yet (he never officially asked), but today the Federal Election Commission told…

Franken didn’t hurt own bid for new legal fund — but specter of future recounts did

By Chris Steller | 03.30.09 | 10:41 am

The Federal Election Commission didn’t tell Al Franken what he wanted to hear about setting up his own fund to cover election-contest legal costs. Franken’s legal rhetoric about “no end in sight” didn’t hurt his case, a commissioner tells MnIndy, but the specter of future recounts did.

FEC: Dems can set up fund for Senate dispute, not sure whether Franken can

By Chris Steller | 03.19.09 | 3:32 pm

The Federal Election Commission decided Thursday that a Democratic Party group can set up a special fundraising account to benefit Al Franken in his election dispute with Norm Coleman. But the FEC had no opinion on whether Franken’s campaign may also establish an account for the current election-contest phase.

FEC: Franken, Dems can keep raising funds for Senate contest

By Chris Steller | 03.13.09 | 6:18 pm

The Federal Elections Commission signaled today that Al Franken and national Democrats will get an OK to raise funds above existing caps in the ongoing Senate election contest in Minnesota.

Republicans agree with Franken on letting parties raise election contest cash

By Chris Steller | 03.03.09 | 12:55 pm

fec-graphic2Three Republican groups are telling the federal government they agree with Democrat Al Franken on something: There should be more ways for donors to send more dollars to support the rivals in Minnesota’s ongoing U.S. Senate election contest.