Lawsuit against Coleman donor dismissed

A Texas judge dismissed a lawsuit against one of Norm Coleman's buddies and donors today. Nasser Kazeminy was accused of trying to funnel $75,000 to Coleman's family through his wife's business.

Deep Marine Technology's former chief executive filed the suit, but recent changes in the company means he lacks standing to sue a business associate. Paul McKim is no longer a shareholder in the company.

Coleman was never a party in the suit, but if it was proven that Coleman ever received the money, it could have been a violation of Senate ethics rules when he was a U.S. Senator for Minnesota.

And somehow we continue with our lives...

Attorneys in Kazeminy case say company didn't conduct thorough investigation

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Yesterday we reported on the Texas oil drilling company's conclusion from a special litigation committee that said Norm Coleman was cleared of all wrongdoing in the case. One of Coleman's friends and donors is accused of trying to funnel $75,000 to Coleman's family through his wife's insurance company.

Attorneys for former company CEO, Paul McKim, say the company's special committee was bogus and didn't conduct a full investigation into the case.

The company employed a law firm to do the eight-month investigation and concluded there was no merit to McKim's suit. Coleman was never a party in the case and a judge will decide this week if the case will be dropped.

From Minnesota Public Radio:
"The SLC lawyers were advocates for the corporation, they were not investigators trying to figure out what happened," McKim's lawyer said. "That's my opinion and that's why I believe it's a whitewash."

Coleman cleared of wrongdoing in Kazeminy suit

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The Texas company involved in a lawsuit centered around one of Norm Coleman's friends and donors cleared Coleman of any wrongdoing in the case, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

The company's special litigation committee conducted an eight-month investigation into the lawsuit claims and found no basis for them. The lawsuit, filed by the company's former CEO, alleged that Nasser Kazeminy tried to funnel $75,000 to Coleman's family through the company Coleman's wife worked for.

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Judge hears case to dismiss Kazeminy suit

Lawyers will present their case in front of a Texas judge today in hopes of having the lawsuit against Norm Coleman donor Nasser Kazeminy dismissed.

Kazeminy is accused of trying to funnel $75,000 to Coleman's family his wife's business. Coleman isn't part of the lawsuit, but both Kazeminy and Coleman have denied the allegations.

The lawsuit came up just days before Election Day last year where Coleman eventually lost to Al Franken. Coleman called it a last-second political move to destroy him, but no connections to Franken have been reported.

The civil case was filed by one of Kazeminy's business associates and has been delayed as the company tries to gather evidence for their defense.

Franken's swearing-in ceremony, in case you missed it

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We know you were too busy watching Michael Jackson's casket travel all over L.A. today from one service to the next. We were checking in on it too; hoping he might make an epic comeback and emerge alive and moonwalking from the dead. It could happen.

Anyway, if you want to see the moment that our state officially became represented by Al Franken, we have the clip below. We also have a memorial of our own: to the formerly funny Franken. RIP.

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It's official: Sen. Al Franken on duty for Minn.

Minnesota officially has two senators once again and Al Franken can now be referred to as Sen. Al Franken. Did this more than eight-month battle just end with an oath and signature? It sure did.

The actual swearing-in was shorter than the sustained applause that followed as Franken made his way around the Senate chamber for handshakes and hugs from his new colleagues. Franken was escorted by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Walter Mondale.

Franken will start work on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Indian Affairs and the Special Committee on Aging. He will also serve on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee once the mark-up is completed on the health care bill.

Watch Franken's swearing-in ceremony live at 11:15 a.m. CT

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If you're a political nut who has spent an unfortunate amount of time following Minnesota's U.S. Senate race unfold, it would only be fitting to see it officially end today with Al Franken's swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The ceremony will be played lived by several news organizations, so check them out below.

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NRSC video: Franken makes 60, America is screwed

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Most people have realized by now that this magical "60" in the Senate doesn't mean a whole lot these days. Yes, the Democrats have a good advantage, but it doesn't mean Democrats can do whatever they want. Not every Democrat votes for every Democratic bill and certainly those leaning more center will be more careful about supporting bills because they know their vote could tip the scale. And that also means that Republicans never vote for Democratic bills, which is bunk.

Doesn't really matter to the Republicans. They want to make it clear that America is crumbling and it's all the fault of the Dems. More common sense: You can't turn around an economy this large in six months. Most of the problems America is dealing with are still correlated to Republican policy. Remember when our economy took a dive after Clinton left office? Republicans claimed it took years to see the effect of a past president and it was all his fault. This is all bunk.

Either way, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is pulling some online fear mongering with Al Franken's swearing-in today. The country is going to crumble in front of our eyes, they say.

Check out the video below.

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Franken to be sworn in Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. ET

It's official: the swearing-in ceremony for Senator-elect Al Franken will take place Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. ET. Vice President Biden will administer the oath of office and Franken will be accompanied by former Vice President Walter Mondale and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Many stations will be covering the ceremony, but we've confirmed that it will be streamed live on C-SPAN 2 and locally on KSTP. C-SPAN 2 is channel 104 on Twin Cities Comcast. KSTP will also have it live on their site. The UpTake has a reporter in Washington, D.C., but it's unclear if they will have live video of the event. Don't forget to tune in to see it all at 11:15 a.m. Minnesota time.

To prep yourself for the out-of-control excitement likely to unfold, check out Franken's total snoozer press conference this morning with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. We couldn't even finish watching it.

Franken wants to remind us again he isn't funny anymore

It's Minnesota's last day with only one senator and we could only hope that Senator-elect Al Franken might bring some much-needed relief to an often stale and too-serious dance of politics that doesn't get much done in the first place. There's a place for some lighthearted humor to keep us non-believers in the game.

Give up hope now. Franken is too serious for his own good and wants to be sure everyone knows it. In case you missed Franken's interview on NBC's Today Show last week, here it is. He says he lost his funny side long ago. What a disappointment. We just sent another boring white guy to the Senate.

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