I don't know what other media coverage there has been of the complaint, but my Google Alert popped up the Aug. 14, 2008 Huffington Post item. We in Minnesota mostly know the story, so I will not excerpt. Have a look at the HP item, however, as it shows the story is growing legs nationwide. As it should. It is a questionable arrangement. On Aug. 15, Bloggers for Change also commented, again showing out-of-state concern. On Saturday, Aug. 16, Big E, at MnBlue had more detail - fisking the excuse set Coleman gave in defense of his housing perk. While that is local not national attention, it is one further indication the drumbeat is getting louder, and the problem will not be quelled by Coleman's dismissive hand-waving.
It is real, and it is disturbing.
Earning what he does, having that arrangement, and then the other things about it -- campaign money to the landlord's business, the landlord's wife on the Coleman staff payroll - coupled with the friendly favorable housing discount - it all is troubling in showing the wrong side of how things too often are done in DC.
CREW is an acronym for "citizens for responsibility and ethics in Washington."
The complaint is not too new, it was filed July 1, of this year. CREW is not without a history concerning its scrutiny of Coleman, as this site search reveals. And CREW is not non-partisan. They ferret out GOP error, or related things such as their formal complaints last cycle against Mac Hammond's use of the Living Word Christian Center to promote Michele Bachmann's candidacy and against his little private air force, paid for by the congregation.
What is news is that however much Coleman would want to end the discussion, the problem is one that apparently will not go away.
Finally, a largely unrelated but interesting linkover about Coleman, and why has he shown an interest in Mark Olson's state Senate candidacy, at Lloydletta's Nooz. There's an ongoing thread there at the Nooz (most recently this) about Mark Olson's local GOP endorsement and how there is a split where even GOP blogger regulars get heat from other GOP regulars, talk-show hosts in particular, over this Mark Olson for State Senate situation, endorsed locally despite having the wife-beating conviction; and it is speculative why Coleman would weigh in his voice at all, (it IS a hornet's nest but not one affecting national events), other than to distance himself clearly from any GOP approval of spousal abuse, directly or indirectly via endorsement of a candidate for office having that blemish, or otherwise.
Coleman is on the proper side of things, but it is curious why he'd talk of that. Mark Olson, to the best of my knowledge, is not critical of Coleman's living arrangements in DC.
FINALLY: In closing, if you do not read any other linked item about Coleman or Mark Olson, the one at MnBlue by Big E, and the Nooz item about why is Coleman vocal about Olson, are most highly recommended.
_____UPDATE____________
Talking Points Memo also is keeping it front burner; Aug. 15, after having previously visited the issue; June 27. Some of the comments, both posts, are interesting. There's an undercurrent around the blogs about Coleman being a womanizer, some comments to the TPM posts make that allegation. Personally I believe that irrelevant to the job and duties. But if the GOP is hooting loudly over Franken's satirical writing from eight years ago, it makes it fair game to ask where Coleman's sleeping lately and who with.
Both lines of "campaign information" are gutter trash. Both should be discarded. But attack dogs barking on one side will get the other item bandied about. Who wins then? Nobody.
_________FURTHER CREW UPDATE_________
More past CREW whistle blowing, by CREW, here, this time on suspect Minnesota GOP financial operations, mishandling of money and then apparent retaliatory actions, 2007.
_________FURTHER CREW UPDATE__________
Regarding the Pastor Mac Hammond Flying Circus, and the parallel CREW complaints about the Bachmann dog-pony show at the mega-Church Hammond runs as a personal cash cow - his prosperity in his prosperity ministry - and about the church funded airplane gig; STRIB, online, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008 has a full report of how the IRS is bumping heads with the flying pastor of prosperity; here. Read it quickly, STRIB has the habit of pulling online articles into pay-per-view archive status after only a week or two of open viewing.
It's a hoot. Well worth reading and chuckling a bit. Hammond made himself an attention getter and ...