"Hello Nasser? This is Norm. The FEC says I have to pay for my own lawyers. Can you help me out?"

[Minnesota Raindog]

The Federal Election Commission released two draft opinions Thursday that may deny part of Republican Norm Coleman’s request to use Senate campaign funds to help defray the cost of some of his legal expenses ...

... The FEC wrote in both opinions that Coleman may not use his campaign funds for any costs with the FBI investigation that are unrelated to his campaign or duties as a federal officeholder. One of the two opinions also does not allow Coleman to use campaign funds for lawsuits in Texas and Delaware.

More here:

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=143&docID=news-000003147641

[dodger501]

1. What a weasel

I guess that hot rumor of a MN Supreme Court decision coming down yesterday did not pan out.
Any chance it could happen today?

[Minnesota Raindog]

2. Hot rumor was one lousy--and wrong-- website

Goes to show the power--and problem--of the internets when one little local political website can claim to have inside information from unnamed sources about a state Supreme Court decision and the story goes viral from local media to the Wall Street Journal. Of course, all our esteemed local media did was pass on the false rumor without further fact checking.

What's funny is the self-important Politics in Minnesota website that floated the rumor still is pimping its sources:

"While our sources on the impending Minnesota Supreme Court ruling on the U.S. Senate election contest were impeccable, our latest intelligence points to a decision sometime next week."


Yeah, pretty impeccable sources alright, PIM.