Coleman/Kazeminy: Norm told us this was coming almost a month ago

Contrary to Norm Coleman’s claims to media on Friday and yesterday, when Coleman a) said that the media (specifically, the Star Tribune) first received information about the claims “last week,” and b) implied that this late, low blow could only have been the work of the Al Franken campaign, Coleman had been asked by reporters about the matter in early October.

Who said so? Norm Coleman. Details inside.

Coleman/Kazeminy roundup: With second lawsuit, Norm has even more ‘splaining to do

This morning’s news of a second lawsuit alleging the transmission of funds from Nasser Kazeminy to Norm Coleman poses serious complications for Coleman’s “they’re out to get me” defense. Coleman can and probably will claim that this is just further evidence of the vast left-wing conspiracy to do him in, but that seemed unlikely yesterday and seems exponentially more unlikely today.

More about lawsuit number two and other matters inside.

Franken denounces Coleman ad as lie

Norm Coleman released a new television ad today accusing his Democratic opponent of orchestrating two lawsuits alleging that Coleman’s longtime political patron funneled $75,000 that was intended to benefit the Senator to a Minneapolis insurance firm. Al Franken denounced and denied the allegation this afternoon, accusing the incumbent of lying to voters.

Video: Coleman ad calls Texas lawsuit “11th-hour attack” by Franken

After two lawsuits have been filed that allege Norm Coleman fraudulently received $75,000 from donor Nasser Kazeminy, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has worked footage of Coleman ignoring questions by Star Tribune reporters Tony Kennedy and Paul McEnroe into a commercial. Meanwhile, Norm Coleman released a new ad this morning that dubs the lawsuit — which was filed in a Texas court by a Republican and is not principally about the Colemans — “Al Franken’s 11th-hour attack: phony accusations filled with lies delivered anonymously to a Minnesota paper before being filed in a Texas court. A vicious personal attack on my wife…” Coleman, whose campaign announced this week that it was filing a suit against Franken for alleged violations of campaign laws (the fourth time such a charge has been leveled by Coleman or his surrogates against a political opponent), says, “In Minnesota, this is as dirty as it gets.”

See both commercials after the jump.

Video: Star Tribune squeamish over reporters asking Coleman about lawsuit in Dem ad

An editor’s note in today’s Star Tribune is the latest sign of the newspaper’s squeamishness about its own reporting of what are now two lawsuits alleging back-channel payoffs to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman:

EDITOR’S NOTE
The Democratic Senate [sic] Campaign Committee is running TV ads featuring a Star Tribune reporter questioning Sen. Norm Coleman about a lawsuit noted in this report. The video in the ad was filmed without the knowledge or consent of the Star Tribune.

The original video shows Strib reporter Paul McEnroe trying to ask Coleman about the first lawsuit filed in Texas this week as Coleman left a St. Cloud cafe Wednesday. (See the video here. See the DSCC’s ad after the jump.)

Second lawsuit claims $75,000 intended for Coleman

A second lawsuit has been filed containing an identical allegation that Sen. Norm Coleman’s long time political patron funneled $75,000 that was intended to benefit the Senator to a Minneapolis insurance firm, the Star Tribune reports. The case was filed Friday in Delaware Chancery Court and attributes the Coleman claim to a “confidential source.”

Coleman, Kazeminy and the lawsuit: Five reasons to doubt that it’s all just ‘sleazy politics’

Norm Coleman stood before a gaggle of reporters and fans at what was supposed to be a routine campaign stop in Moorhead this morning and addressed the story that’s been chasing after him for the past few days. Allegations that Coleman pal Nasser Kazeminy had funneled money to Laurie Coleman for doing a non-existent job were “absolutely false,” Coleman said. But that was only the starting point of his remarks, which sought for the better part of five minutes to paint the whole affair as a fabrication wrought by “Al Franken and his political allies.”

Only the plaintiff, Paul McKim, can answer with certainty as to his timing and motives. But ultimately, the question of whether politics played a role in the timing of the lawsuit has no bearing on the merit of the claims in the lawsuit.

Let’s take a closer look at the legal complaint.

Norm Coleman’s statement on lawsuit controversy: It’s all Franken’s fault

Speaking at a campaign appearance in Moorhead, Minnesota, this morning, Norm Coleman called the allegations regarding Coleman and his wife contained in a Texas lawsuit filed this week “absolutely false” and “defamatory.”

But the bulk of Coleman’s prepared remarks were devoted to blaming the controversy, and the underlying litigation itself, on Democratic challenger Al Franken “and his political allies.”

A transcription of Coleman’s prepared remarks follows below.

Untangling the political ties of the primary players in the Kazeminy/Coleman lawsuit

The man at the heart of the lawsuit filed in Texas this week accusing Sen. Norm Coleman of fraudulently receiving $75,000 has kept a low political profile over the years. Deep Marine Technology founder Paul McKim has given a total of $900 — primarily to Republican political candidate and causes since 2000, according to a database maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Coleman and Kazeminy: How are local mainstream media outlets playing the story?

A commenter points out this morning that the print edition of the Star Tribune has relegated Paul McEnroe and Tony Kennedy’s story about the Texas lawsuit against Friend-of-Norm Nasser Kazeminy to a bottom corner of the metro section’s front page.

Placement means a lot in terms of readership — not only in print but on the web. So we decided to see how the Twin Cities’ mainstream news outlets are playing the story on their home pages.