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Mona Shield Payne/Special to the Sun
Rep. Shelley Berkley thanks her constituents for attending her “Congress on Your Corner” event Friday, Jan. 14, 2011, at Berkley’s office in Las Vegas.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
Reporters don’t usually have to hunt down Rep. Shelley Berkley. More often than not, if you want to speak to her, she wants to speak to you.
But ethics allegations do funny things to lawmakers.
After former Nevada Sen. John Ensign became the subject of an ethics inquiry — one that ultimately led to his resignation — he perfected the art of the dodge: entering and exiting the Senate chamber by restricted-access staircases and secret cloakroom doors, promising to meet reporters and then giving them the slip.
These days, Berkley is trying to avoid talking about far less serious issues than Ensign confronted with a far more elaborate strategy: a zone defense.
Two weeks ago, The New York Times published an article pointing out that Berkley’s husband, kidney doctor Larry Lehrner, had benefited from her congressional advocacy for federal funding of kidney care.
At first, Berkley didn’t let bad press break her stride. She gave interviews and went about her business as usual. But last week, an independent ethics watchdog group criticized her “lack of regard for the rules” and the Nevada GOP requested an official inquiry into her conduct.
I tried to talk to her as usual the day the GOP made that request. Instead I was met by her chief of staff, Richard Urey, and two staffers on loan from Sen. Harry Reid’s office.
They started to swarm the hall shortly after Berkley cast me a casual “oh, have to vote,” and quickly ducked onto the House floor, a members-only zone.
When she didn’t reappear after 10 minutes, it was clear something had changed.
“Is she going to be coming out this way?” I asked the Reid staffer who had come in with her, and was waiting by the House chamber’s east doors. There are nine exits from the House chamber: four are glass doors off the speaker’s lobby, three are heavily guarded by Capitol police, and two go through private cloakrooms.
A slow shrug was the answer.
“Why don’t you go work on your other story?” Berkley’s chief of staff asked me after about a half-hour. “Better to do a very thorough job on that.”
I snorted.
“Maybe I’m just the decoy,” he added, grinning.
It’s not unusual for lawmakers to avoid reporters. For example, it took eight frustrating months to get then-Rep. Dean Heller to talk to me when I came to Capitol Hill for the Sun. (He is Berkley’s rival for the Senate in 2012.)
My hourlong game of cat-and-mouse with Berkley was only striking because it’s such a marked shift.
She has combed hallways around the House chamber to respond to requests for an interview. She has sat on a bench outside the House chamber, conversing with reporters in 90-second spurts so she could dart in and out of a series of two-minute votes without shirking on answering a single question.
But Wednesday, it was her staffers who were darting around hallways, often getting clumped up as they tried to keep a close eye on me. They’re not used to this sort of operation: Reid has about a 10-foot-long walk between the Senate and his office, where reporters aren’t allowed to loiter, and Berkley, like I said, doesn’t avoid the press.
But what’s unique for Berkley is normal for lawmakers in crisis mode.
“She could be thrown off-balance by the fact that she’s under ethical challenge here ... and the instinct is to draw a circle around and close off access,” said Chris Arterton, a professor of political management at George Washington University. “But kind of insulating herself from the press certainly does raise more questions, and is probably a bad strategy ... Face the music, and put it behind you.”
To her credit, Berkley eventually did.
I was a few steps into what I’d decided would be my last lap of the House when I heard a familiar laugh — and noticed the hallway was strangely clear of staffers. I sprinted for her usual exit.
She had made it about a quarter of the way down the stairs, but stopped when I called her name, and answered one question about the allegations.
“This is pure partisan politics on the part of the Republican Party and I’m not going to let them interfere with the job I have to do in order to protect the patients in my congressional district, in my state, and across the United States of America,” she said. “Any other questions, call the office.”
She has done so much, I can't believe she wont confront the allegations.
So what that she made a ton of money for her hubby by authoring and pushing a bill that helped her hubby make a ton of money without disclosing that fact???????
Is that not what Congressmen do?
The government is full of crooked people.
So she is just another one.
I don't see the big deal.
My problem with her is that she puts the interest of Israel above the interest of the USA.
She is an extreme pro-Israel supporter.
So, in a fit of pique, you write a whole article in your paper about the fact that Shelly Berkeley could not be found to give you fodder for the grist mill...Even though you found her, and she commented.
Just because you could.
Wow.
Feel better now?
how about this, give everything you own to the red cross. live 100% on the representatives salary. husband wont do it? dump him
Shelley Berkley has enriched herself at the publics' expense. That is plain and simple. She has betrayed our trust to line her pockets and may have cost people their lives in the process. Keeping a program with dramatically higher than average kidney transplant rejection rates would seem a poor idea. It will only be a matter if time until some enterprising personal injury attorney comes along and costs us taxpayers even more money.
"Far less serious issues than Ensign"? My butt. Who gives a crap who John slept with, it was his cover up that got him...and THAT Karoun, is the reason Shelley should hide..when the NYT points it out, it is not good. She should have disclosed everything...but in my opinion, she was feathering her bed just as John was and should step down, just as he did. Isn't it enough that we are losing our honesty and everything we have as an elected official is for sale. The fact that they can deliver money to their favorite contributors at taxpayer expense is sooooo wrong, and one by one they need to be eliminated. VOTE
Josh...
I guess we better call Dean Heller out on this as well, right? He voted the SAME AS BERKLEY on the bill...
Are BOTH Berkley & Heller WRONG for having voted to keep Nevada's ONLY KIDNEY TRANSPLANT HOSPITAL open?
"Heller also was part of the delegation that fought to keep the kidney transplant program open. A Heller spokesman did not return phone calls seeking comment."
"I think going to bat for the hospital, it's really hard for me to see that as a big conflict," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "The concept of closing the only transplant center in the entire state, that seems like a big deal, and it seems like any member of Congress would have to be involved, plus she didn't initiate it, so it just doesn't bother me very much."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/07...
SGTROCK>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Your problem is u got your head up your AXX> If that's the biggest complaint u have against Berkley u have a big problem. If Heller made this amount of money by not recusing herself for his wife u would be screaming for his dismissal. How fair we are!
"I guess we better call Dean Heller out on this as well, right?"
Heller's wife got money off the bill too???????
I don't think so.
I am not calling for her dismissal.
Also, I hope that she is the Democrat nominee for the Senate.
Thank you Democrats.
You gave us Obama which is working gangbusters for the Republican party.
Now, you will help us keep the Senate seat.
Please, Berkeley hang in there gal.
Liberals won't give up on the Ensign rant. When they get caught it's denial and lies. John was seduced by a harlot, he fell for it. His wife is so much hotter than that thing. Her crazy husband telling the World. Fact it takes 2 to tango but I know women that have their mind set on something get it. Ask Monica Lewinski. That being said, there is a difference between having an affair and stealing, looting and using malfeasance to steal tax payers money. Especially when we had to borrow that money to enrich Shelly and Dr. Larry. Ensign resigned he didn't duck and hopes the scandal passes like liberals. A standard operational procedure for those folks. Let's Drain the Socialist Swamp and spill The Cauldron Of Corruption the Liberals are cooking up. Shelly must go, a dishonest and shallow woman. She must go.
Look folks, at the very least, we still have a kidney facility for the citizens here. No matter WHO is benefitting financially.
IF this continues to get in Congresswoman Berkley's way of running for office or keeping her position in office, the next best thing for her and her husband to do is to step away from their monopoly financially of the venture---open it to ALL the other kidney specialists around! End of story.
That would be harsh, but fair, considering the ethics allegations.
In my humble opinion, Congresswoman Shelly Berkley has been one of the most actively responsive political representatives that I have seen in my lifetime. She has worked hard, not only for NEVADANS, but for our VETERANS, SENIORS, CHILDREN, and ALL AMERICANS!!!!
Please don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Give her a chance to fix this, quit hounding the woman needlessly reporters.
Thank YOU.
Blessings and Peace, Star=)
It's time another exciting episode of GUESS THAT POLITICAL PARTY!!!
Now, a new twist on our game. Repeated mentions of a disgraced Senator whose party we all know so we can make you think only of them and not the one whose mantra we parrot.
Fun for all - leave your brain at the door - but bring your feelings.
Has this woman had some plastic surgery? She has that Joan Rivers look. Doesn't look right.
I do not like Shirley's political views but in all fairness to the woman I doubt seriously if there is any conflict of interest on the part of her physician husband. There is nothing wrong with a medical doctor advocating that the federal government get involved with certain medical reimbursement practices. I won't vote for Shirley since she represents Obama but I do not believe that there is any conflict of interest here. What is fair is fair.
Are you reading these post from the liberals? If George Bush had done this they would be rioting. HYPOCRITES. Some goof ball said don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Were not we are going to throw the garbage out with the trash. VOTE SANE 2012
Another laughing stock representing Nevadans. WTF.
Come on Nevadans, when you elect democrats to represent you, you only elect thieves, liars, and scumbags.
Term limits :)
There are justifiable thieves and non-justifiable thieves. She is a justifiable thief as well as Harry Reid and Barry Hussain Omoron. And Ensign did the same thing as Clinton did. So what. How's that Solyndra thing working out for you liberals? Rochelly Berkley is wound tighter than Obama's lips on Harry Reid's a$$.The people at Opportunity Village are laughing at you morons. Remember to blame Bush and continue to hate Cheney.
Frank Marino in drag.
The real scandal here is that Shelley slept with a lobbyist (Larry Lehrner)for the kidney industry which got what it wanted, increased federal funding. And then Shelley is trying to win Ensign old seat which Ensign had to give up because of sleeping around. Can't make this up. Double standard?
She needs a newer,more updated hairstyle. That alone would help.
Leaver her alone, she's out there doin green job creatin.
If only she were as good at that as she is lining her own pockets.