National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Press Secretary Jahan Wilcox issued the following statement today regarding liberal Congresswoman Shelley Berkley’s pay to play scandal.
“As a product of the Nevada Democratic machine, it should come as little surprise that Shelley Berkley has grown accustomed to back room deals and pay-to-play politics in Washington. And given the serious ethical questions that have been raised, it’s also not surprising that Shelley Berkley has refused to be interviewed and has instead relied on canned statements from her public relations team. But for the thousands of Nevadans who are out-of-work and the thousands of Nevada small businesses struggling in this economy, it should reek of politics as usual to hear that Shelley Berkley has been lining her own pockets, while claiming to fight for theirs.”
What They Are Saying In Nevada …
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: “[T]he conflicts outlined in the piece are serious business, and are easy to follow: Berkley took official actions that apparently helped her husband’s medical practice, the income from which they share, ergo, Berkley benefited herself and her family. The fact that Nevada patients and kidney care generally benefited from her official acts is probably true, but it’s the conflict that will become the story here.” (Steve Sebelius, This can’t be good, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 09/06/11)
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: “Over the past five years, Berkley ‘pushed legislation or twisted the arms of federal regulators to pursue an agenda that is aligned with the business interests of her husband,’ the newspaper reported in the lengthy article. … ‘Dr. Lehrner helped build a political action committee that has regularly turned to Ms. Berkley to champion its causes,’ the newspaper said. ‘She has co-sponsored at least five House bills that would expand federal reimbursements or other assistance for kidney care, written letters to regulators to block enforcing rules or ease the flow of money to kidney care centers and appeared regularly at fund-raising events sponsored by a professional organization her husband has helped run.’” (Steve Tetreault, Berkley pushes back on report challenging her ethics, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 09/06/11)
LAS VEGAS SUN: “It’s a potentially significant conflict of interest, even if Berkley and Lehrner are operating in a gray area between the letter and the spirit of lobbying law. Spouses of members of Congress cannot be lobbyists …” (Karoun Demirjian, Rep. Shelley Berkley facing questions about legislation that benefitted husband’s practice, Las Vegas Sun, 09/06/11)
LAS VEGAS SUN: “To Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., the fact that some health care policies she has advocated in Congress could benefit her husband’s kidney care medical practice is little more than happenstance in her broader efforts to ensure Nevadans have quality health care. … She also played a key role in persuading federal regulators not to shutter the state’s only kidney transplant center at University Medical Center in the wake of its problems caring for transplant patients. Lehrner’s practice has the only contract to provide care at the transplant center, a competitively bid contract worth $738,000.” (Anjeanette Damon, Expect Times’ Berkley story to be big campaign issue, Las Vegas Sun, 09/07/11)
JON RALSTON – LAS VEGAS SUN: “I was also astounded that the ever-voluble Berkley refused to comment to the Times while her husband did, perhaps not helping the cause with his flippant quotes. It doesn’t matter if she is being unfairly maligned, as she argues. If so, her argument for silence is that the Times was out to get her. Really? Berkley can garner testimonials from everyone in sight — Harry Reid says he still supports her! But the ads here write themselves, and we will find out next year if the congresswoman’s husband’s gain is actually her loss come November 2012.” (Jon Ralston, The Times’ piece spells trouble for Berkley, Las Vegas Sun, 09/07/11)
ELIZABETH CRUM – KTNV TV: “Although he wasn’t actively lobbying directly in Washington, D.C. or Representative Berkley herself, he was very politically active with a political action committee certainly one has to assume there was private conversations that went on between them. In fact Dr. Lehrer has even joked around that it’s good to be married to a Congresswoman sometimes, that raises some eyebrows as well.” (Elizabeth Crum, Shelley Berkley’s efforts for kidney care raise questions, KTNV-TV, 09/06/11)
What They Are Saying Nationally …
NEW YORK TIMES: Ms. Berkley’s actions were among a series over the last five years in which she pushed legislation or twisted the arms of federal regulators to pursue an agenda that is aligned with the business interests of her husband, Dr. Larry Lehrner. In addition to the hospital contract, he operates a dozen dialysis centers in Nevada and has played a central role in an industry campaign to lobby members of Congress — including his wife — on behalf of kidney care providers….“This is a very serious conflict of interest,” said James A. Thurber, a former Congressional aide who has helped revise ethics rules and is now director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. “There is an official use of power here to help him and the family — and I think that is unethical.” (Eric Lipton, A Congresswoman’s Cause Is Often Her Husband’s Gain, New York Times, 09/05/11)
ASSOCIATED PRESS: “Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley’s efforts to influence federal reimbursement rates for dialysis providers and to save a kidney transplant program in her home state of Nevada have raised questions about an appearance of a conflict of interest with her husband’s medical practice. … The Times also noted that Berkley led recent congressional efforts opposing a 3.1 percent cut in funding for dialysis treatment and that she warned an influential colleague, Rep. Pete Stark of California, to move carefully in considering changes in compensating doctors who provide dialysis treatments. Lehrner operates a dozen dialysis centers in Nevada.” (Kevin Freking, Berkley’s efforts to kidney care raise questions, Associated Press, 09/06/11)
THE HILL: “Berkley’s husband, Dr. Larry Lehrner, is a kidney doctor, and the piece says that [Berkley] fought against federal efforts to shut down a kidney transplant program at a medical center with ties to her husband where the procedure was failing at an unusually high rate, and “pushed legislation or twisted the arms of federal regulators to pursue an agenda that is aligned with the business interests of her husband.” (Cameron Joseph, Berkley may have conflict of interest, says New York Times, The Hill, 09/06/11)
