Oct 30, 2008 5:49 pm US/Central
Coleman Camp Files Complaint Over Franken Ad
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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The Minnesota Republican is taking issue with TV and radio commercials that claim Coleman is the fourth most corrupt senator and he is living almost rent-free in a Washington apartment owned by a prominent GOP consultant.
CBS
Sen. Norm Coleman's re-election campaign filed a legal complaint Thursday over ads aired by Democratic challenger Al Franken, even though a ruling won't occur until well after Tuesday's election.
The Minnesota Republican is taking issue with TV and radio commercials that claim Coleman is the fourth most corrupt senator and he is living almost rent-free in a Washington apartment owned by a prominent GOP consultant. The ads cite a Washington watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington or CREW, that the Coleman campaign accuses of being biased toward Democrats.
Coleman's campaign said the claim about him being corrupt is baseless and notes that he is paying $600 in rent for the basement apartment.
"They are running ads that are just flat-out false," said Mark Drake, Coleman's communications director.
The complaint accuses Franken of breaking a state law banning the preparation, dissemination, or broadcast of paid political advertising or campaign material that is knowingly false.
Franken's campaign spokeswoman Colleen Murray said the ads are based on a CREW list of 24 members of Congress with questionable ethics. Most were in the House, and Coleman was the fourth senator on the list. Seven of the 24 are Democrats.
"Our ads are factual and true even if Norm Coleman doesn't like being held accountable for his conduct," she said. "Every time someone tries to hold Norm Coleman accountable he runs to court to try to weasel out of it. In none of the three prior times he's done this has he ever been successful and he won't be this time either.'
The complaint was filed on an expedited basis with the state Office of Administrative Hearings. It seeks a probable cause determination within three business days.
Mary Beth Gossman, an official with the office, said that determination would simply cover whether the complaint was properly drawn up. Follow-up hearings that would get Franken's side would then occur, with a final ruling likely to take weeks or more.
Within three hours of announcing the complaint, Coleman released a television ad of his own that attempts to debunk the Franken spot.
Democratic Party spokesman John Stiles said Coleman's legal move is a "desperate attempt to change the topic" from his Senate record. The party says it also fits a pattern of late-campaign legal filings by Coleman.
Coleman filed unfair campaign complaints against Democrat Skip Humphrey in his 1998 race for governor and one against Democrat Paul Wellstone in his 2002 Senate race.
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Norm Coleman was born in New York City in 1949. Al Franken was born in New York City in 1951.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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