by Joshua Green

Norm Coleman’s Next Headache

Minnesota’s Senate contest between incumbent Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken already qualified as this year’s strangest race, even before Monday when a Texas CEO filed—and then possibly withdrew—a lawsuit alleging that a Coleman crony had him funnel $75,000 to the senator’s wife. Early on, Franken had tax troubles and came under fire for having written racy jokes . Then Coleman was exposed for renting an apartment at a steeply discounted price from his political consultant, Jeff Larson; for having a wealthy Iranian businessman and major Republican donor, Nasser Kazeminy, buy him suits from a Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis; and, as The Atlantic first reported last week, for having his landlord/consultant Larson buy Sarah Palin $150,000 worth of clothes at the same Neiman Marcus where Kazeminy outfitted him.

The latest twist may be the strangest of all. On Monday, Paul McKim, the CEO of Deep Marine Technology, provider of “comprehensive subsea services to the offshore oil and gas industry,” filed a suit in Harris County, Texas, claiming that Nasser Kazeminy, a major shareholder in DMT, ordered “payment of corporate funds” in amounts that eventually totaled $75,000 to the Hays Companies, a Minneapolis insurance brokerage that employs Coleman’s wife, Laurie. McKim alleges that Laurie Coleman and Hays never provided products or services to DMT, and that Kazeminy’s purpose was to funnel money to the senator. “U.S. senators don't make [expletive deleted],” Kazeminy is alleged to have said [Page 10].

By Wednesday, the Minnesota press had gotten wind of the suit and tried to question Coleman—without much luck. Click here to see video of Coleman fleeing as reporters try to get him to speak about the lawsuit. Then things got weirder still. Coleman’s spokesman claimed that the lawsuit had been withdrawn. But the Harris County District Clerk’s Office clearly lists it as active. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Senate race remains neck-and-neck. As a public service, here is the possibly-withdrawn-but-nonetheless-sensational lawsuit that, whatever the outcome, is a fascinating and easy read (good stuff starts on Page 10).