What They Are Saying About Embattled Congresswoman Shelley Berkley

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING NATIONALLY …

POLITICO:  In a major blow to Rep. Shelley Berkley’s Senate campaign, the House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it will formally investigate the Nevada Democrat over allegations she used her office to aid her husband’s medical practice. … Behind the scenes, Democrats were less optimistic. Monday’s announcement will allow the GOP to pummel Berkley as “under investigation” and “ethically challenged” in every TV ad until Election Day, since it will be virtually impossible for the Ethics Committee to complete its work by then, at least based on recent history.  “This is going to make it real, real tough,” admitted one top Senate Democratic strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I am not sure she can overcome it.”  (John Bresnahan, Shelley Berkley ethics case shakes up Nevada race, Politico, 7/9/12)

NEW YORK TIMES:  Representative Shelley Berkley’s bid for a Senate seat in Nevada will most likely remain under an ethics cloud through Election Day after the House ethics committee disclosed Monday that it had appointed a formal investigative panel to look into allegations that she used her office to help her husband’s medical practice.  (Eric Lipton, Panel Seated in Ethics Inquiry Into Nevada Lawmaker, New York Times, 7/9/12)

WASHINGTON POST:  The House Ethics Committee has voted unanimously to launch a formal investigation into allegations that Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) used her position to benefit the financial interests of her husband — a blow to her candidacy in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate contests.  (Ed O’Keefe, Shelley Berkley faces formal ethics investigation, Washington Post, 7/9/12)   
USA TODAY:  The House Ethics Committee disclosed Monday a unanimous decision to open an investigation into whether Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., used her office to benefit her physician husband’s financial interests. … Jennifer Duffy, an elections analyst for the non-partisan Cook Political Report, expects ethics to remain an issue. “The Berkley campaign seems to believe this is not a big deal, but the Ethics Committee clearly thinks it is,” Duffy said. “It’s very much on the table for this race.” (Susan Davis, Rep. Shelley Berkley will face House ethics panel probe, USA Today, 7/9/11)

HOTLINE:  While initial reports will delve once again into Berkley’s interest in the Las Vegas kidney center, Republicans familiar with the case pointed to a letter Berkley wrote to Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., then head of the Ways and Means subcommittee that oversees Medicare, urging him to use caution when revisiting compensation for dialysis providers. The letter, first reported by The New York Times, came the same day that Berkley received a number of campaign contributions from medical companies that deal with kidney dialysis.  (Reid Wilson, Ethics Investigation Delivers a Blow to Berkley, National Journal Hotline, 7/9/12)

ROLL CALL:  The Berkley campaign awoke this morning to front-page stories in both the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Reno Gazette-Journal — which cover the two vital population centers in the state — detailing the investigation.  (Kyle Trygstad, Nevada: Ethics Probe Clouds Tossup Senate Race, Roll Call, 7/10/12)

NEVADA’S FRONT PAGES …

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING IN NEVADA …

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL:  Jennifer Duffy, an analyst with the Cook Political Report, said the ethics probe is a blow to Berkley, giving Republicans stronger ammunition against her and probably keeping the matter open all the way to Election Day.  “The issue stays alive through the campaign, and Republicans got a little bit more juice behind it with the unanimous vote” from five Democrats and five Republicans on the panel, Duffy said.  “And they get to keep talking about it. And I think she’s more on the defensive now. In a race where everything counts, this is not something that Berkley needs hanging over her head. In a close race, everything matters.” (Steve Tetreault, House panel to investigate allegations against Berkley, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/10/11)

LAS VEGAS SUN:  Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley was always going to have to face some tough music on the Senate campaign trail over allegations she used her seat in Congress to push for policies and programs that benefited her family’s bottom line.  But the inquiry that stood at least a chance of being dismissed as a political witch hunt now ranks among the most serious investigations of alleged ethical offenses taking place this Congress.  (Karoun Demirjian, Formal ethics investigation likely to dog Berkley for duration of Senate campaign, Las Vegas Sun, 7/10/12)

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL:  The bipartisan House Ethics Committee has voted unanimously to proceed with a full-scale investigation into whether Rep. Shelley Berkley used her position in Congress to benefit her husband’s medical practice.  (Erin Kelly, House Ethics Committee appoints panel in Shelley Berkley Case, Reno Gazette-Journal, 7/9/12)

ASSOCIATED PRESS:  The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it had appointed a panel to investigate whether Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley used her position to protect her family’s financial interests, giving Republicans additional fodder to question her conduct leading up to November’s election for a Senate seat in a critical swing state.  (Kevin Freking, Ethics Committee appoints panel in Berkley Case, Associated Press, 7/9/12)

STEVE SEBELIUS AT THE REVIEW-JOURNAL:  [T]he fact that – rather than dismiss the matter as unfounded – the bipartisan committee decided to investigate a Republican-filed complaint that Berkley took actions to benefit her husband’s medical practice shows some members may believe there’s fire under all that smoke. … The first line of the Berkley campaign’s prepared statement in response to the action was almost comically untrue: “We are pleased with the committee’s decision to conduct a full and fair investigation, which will ensure all the facts are reviewed,” said campaign manager Jessica Mackler.  (Steve Sebelius, The second-best news for Shelley Berkley?, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/10/12)

WHAT THEY ARE WATCHING IN NEVADA …

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

FOX LAS VEGAS:  U.S. Rep. for Nevada Shelley Berkley is being investigated for possible ethics violations. A House ethics committee unanimously voted to investigate whether she used her office to personally help her and her husband. … FOX5 political analyst Mitch Fox said this certainly doesn’t help Berkley’s campaign for re-election, but there’s still a lot of time before voters hit the polls in November.  (Elizabeth Watts, Berkley’s ethics investigation puts cloud on her campaign, KVVU-TV, 07/09/12)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

ABC LAS VEGAS:  The House Ethics Committee says it has appointed a panel to investigate whether Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley used her position to protect her family’s financial interests, giving Republicans additional fodder to question her conduct leading up to November’s election.  (Molly Waldron, Ethics Committee appoints panel in Shelley Berkley case, KSNV-TV, 7/9/12)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO 

CBS RENO:  The House Ethics Committee says it has appointed a panel to investigate whether Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley used her position to protect her family’s financial interests, giving Republicans additional fodder to question her conduct leading up to November’s election.  (Ethics Committee Appoints Panel in Berkley Case, KTVN-TV, 7/9/12)

The post What They Are Saying About Embattled Congresswoman Shelley Berkley appeared first on NRSC – National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Read more at NRSC