Carter Wrenn posted on December 07, 2009 16:41
I figured brazenly appointing your wife to a top-paying government job (or swapping a political appointment for a deal on a beach front lot) was a temptation our local Democrats couldn’t resist because after two decades in power they’d lost their humility.
But, yesterday, I read Montana’s Democratic Senator has succumbed to temptation too – and what’s happened in Montana and is a lot more entertaining than Tony Rand selling Beverly Perdue penny stocks.
Back in April Senator Max Baucus – who’s leading the fight for health care reform – announced he was divorcing his wife. At the time Baucus explained the whole thing was an amicable parting of the ways brought on by irreconcilable differences he and his wife had discovered after 29 years of marriage.
Next it came out that two months earlier Senator Baucus had nominated one of his aides – who also turned out to be his girlfriend – to be U.S. Attorney in Montana. Baucus explained that by saying the fact he was dating Melodee Hanes hadn’t influenced his decision to nominate her one bit – that, in fact, he’d named to long time donor of his to do an independent review of the possible nominees and his donor had picked his girlfriend.
Baucus might have been wise to stop there but he went on explaining, adding, “As we (Baucus and Hanes) grew closer and things progressed, we knew it was time to begin the process of Mel transitioning out of my Senate office.”
Which means after Max and Mel decided she should leave his Senate staff by coincidence Baucus’ campaign donor-independent reviewer recommended Mel for U.S. Attorney.
Then the plot takes a turn: A month later Mel withdrew her nomination and explained she had other opportunities to pursue she just couldn’t pass up.
Next the press reported President Obama had given Mel a job in the Justice Department in Washington – which Baucus maybe shouldn’t have explained but did saying, “We thought it made sense to withdraw her name from consideration. She also wanted to come to Washington” – to live with Baucus.
So the President of the United States has given a sixty-eight year old Senator’s girlfriend a job so she could move to Washington to live with him – which has to be some kind of a first.