Rep. Shelley Berkley

Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley is challenging Republican Dean Heller for his Senate seat, and until this week was in a very close race. On June 29, the House Ethics Committee voted to investigate allegations that Rep. Berkley is guilty of an ethics violation over a Congressional effort to save a kidney transplant unit in a Nevada hospital in 2008. Rep. Berkley’s husband is a kidney specialist whose company had a contract with the hospital, so the Representative is being accused of using her position to enrich herself by joining the other two Nevada representatives in working for the hospital’s program.

The timeline stinks. The alleged offense took place in 2008. No complaint was filed then. The Republicans took control of the House in January, 2011. No complaint was filed in the past 18 months. Only now, when Dean Heller is in jeopardy of losing

Sen. Dean Heller

his seat is the complaint being filed. Heller was appointed to fill John Ensign’s Senate seat by Governor Brian Sandoval on May 9, 2011. He had won his House seat in 2006, so he was part of the House delegation that worked to save the kidney unit in 2008. Representatives Mark Amodei and Joe Heck won their seats in 2010.

Political dirty tricks are getting so refined these days, except for the right wing media discussions of them as evidenced by the links below.

Related articles

• House Ethics Committee launches inquiry of Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley(cnn.com)

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• Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley Combats Allegations of Ethics Violations(abcnews.go.com)

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• Shelley Berkley (D, NV-01) under ethics investigation for medical crony capitalism.(redstate.com)

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• House opens ethics probe on Nevada Dem Berkley amid her bid for Senate seat(givemeliberty01.wordpress.com)

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