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By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Published Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 | 3:21 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 | 4:52 p.m.
Washington — After over a year of swirling suspicion, the House Ethics Committee delivered its verdict on the ethics charges against Rep. Shelley Berkley Thursday, finding her guilty of some ethical trangressions, but innocent of those which had been specifically alleged in the public complaints against her. Berkley had been accused of using her congressional office to lobby for the interests of the kidney care practice operated by her husband, Dr. Larry Lehrner, by petitioning the federal government to keep his firm’s kidney transplant center at University Medical Center in Las Vegas open, and appealing to congressional colleagues not to lower Medicare ...
Good thing we got rid of this crooked politician... Now we can work on Reid.
I can tell you from personal experience that Shelley Berkley's office contacted Medicare on behalf of a practice I used to work with. Medicare was more than a million dollars behind in payments due to the problems associated with the 5010 transition. (If you don't know what that is, google it.)
We had no connection to her husband. It was a completely different specialty.
Those payment delays were threatening the practice. Why, may I ask, is medicine the only business where you provide service and HOPE you get paid?
I think Shelley was a good representative for Nevada. I hope she enjoys her retirement.
Not only guilty but a proven to be branded forever a serial liar.
Mr. Dave Griffith,
I read nothing in the Sun article or in the Ethics Committee report (which I just read) that suggests Ms. Berkley is a "crooked politician."
She made a mistake... perhaps, at the most, poor judgement in not receognizing that "perception" is critically important. The Ethics Committee said Berkley was guilty of "improperly using her official position for beneficial interest by permitting her office to take official action specifically on behalf of her husband's practice."
However, the same committee also ruled that Berkley had not violated house rules "by dispensing special favors or privileges" to her husband. Nor did she violate ethics rules by working to preserve the kidney transplant center at University Medical Center, the committee found.
The decision was unanimous... Sounds like a case of simple conflict of interest... no sanctions, no fines, no jail time... Conflict of interest. The same kind of conflict of interest that is business as usual on a daily basis in the city halls, county chambers, state houses and federal offices of politicians near and far.
"Crooked?" I think not. I thank her for her public service and wish her well.
Bryan, maybe you can be the leader of the apology parade.
Don't waste the ink Bryan, they believe what they wanna believe... they don't even read the article... they just comment.
I never doubted it for a minute.
Crony-capitalism, dumbocrat style.
True to form, one bunch of crooked politicians slaps another crooked politician on the wrist. Oh, well, at least we're rid of the "wanna-be-fellon" for the moment. If I never hear about the scumbag again, it will be too soon!