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Rep. Shelley Berkley. D-Nev. speaks during the Nevada State Democratic Party Convention at Bally’s Event Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 9, 2012.
By Tovin Lapan (contact) 
Saturday, July 14, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Berkley ethics probe
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Congress announced an ethics probe into Las Vegas Congresswoman Shelley Berkley on Monday. Some say Berkley's husband, a UMC kidney doctor, allegedly benefited from Berkley's support of kidney programs at UMC.
Sun Archives
- Berkley’s ethics woes bigger obstacle in Washoe County (07-11-2012)
- Nevada Republican Party united on one thing: complaint against Shelley Berkley (07-11-2012)
- Formal ethics investigation likely to dog Berkley for duration of Senate campaign (07-10-2012)
- Berkley could learn fate of ethics probe Monday (07-08-2012)
- Berkley addresses ethics probe (06-09-2012)
- House committee conducting ethics probe of Rep. Shelley Berkley (03-23-2012)
- More political stories
The U.S. House Ethics Committee delivered a shot across the bow of Shelley Berkley’s Senate campaign this week when it announced a unanimous decision to appoint an investigative subcommittee to explore whether the congresswoman used her position to advocate for policies that benefited her family financially.
On Friday, during her first public appearance in Nevada since the ethics investigation was announced Monday, Berkley steadied the ship and took an injection of energy from her ardent supporters — including several local union affiliates, veterans, the Alliance for Retired Americans and Nevada Democrats — at a political rally in Henderson.
“(Berkley) has fought for middle-class families. She has fought for people who are underprivileged, who are less fortunate, people who feel like they don’t have a chance in this country. Those are the people who Shelley has fought for, not the big corporations, not the big oil companies, but the average people like you and I. That’s why I’m supporting her,” said state Sen. Ruben Kihuen, who touted Berkley’s support for the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform.
Iraq War veteran Leo Dunson also took the podium in front of a large blue banner reading “Shelley Berkley Fighter for Nevada” to commend Berkley on her work to pass the Justin Bailey Act to aid veterans with substance abuse problems and to secure funding for a Southern Nevada Veterans Affairs medical center.
In 2008, Berkley and the rest of the Nevada delegation, including then-Rep. Dean Heller, lobbied to keep the University Medical Center kidney transplant center open.
Berkley’s husband, Dr. Larry Lehrner, is a kidney doctor whose medical firm had a contract to provide kidney care at UMC. Without the UMC transplant center, Southern Nevadans would have had to travel out of state to receive a transplant.
“There are 200 of our fellow Nevadans who were waiting for a life-saving gift of a kidney who might have died if we hadn’t saved that transplant program,” Berkley told the crowd at the Nevada office of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
Berkley also wrote a letter to the chairman of the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over Medicare, petitioning him not to lower Medicare reimbursement rates for dialysis.
The congresswoman has said her motivation was protecting patient care in Las Vegas, not for personal financial reasons. She also worked to protect reimbursement rates for other kinds of care, not just dialysis treatments, according to her campaign.
“In addition to the hospital contract, (Lehrner) 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,” The New York Times reported in September, raising the first questions of impropriety.
On Friday, though, Berkley disputed that her husband ever participated in lobbying.
“My husband is a gifted doctor. He works 12 hours a day, seven days a week. He is not a lobbyist,” she told the Sun after the rally. “So, the idea that he has anything to do with lobbying is ridiculous. ... What I would do in the future, and I’ve said this a number of times, I would make sure that if there is anybody within the sound of my voice who didn’t know my husband was a physician, they would know by the end of the conversation.”
Terri Boling, a Berkley supporter who attended the event, said she didn’t know before news of the investigation broke that Berkley’s husband was a nephrologist. Boling said she believed the congresswoman’s contention that she was acting in the best interests of her constituents.
Alfonso Gonzalez, another supporter, said the investigation could end up being beneficial to the campaign.
“Berkley has always been on the side of the middle-class workers and veterans,” said Gonzalez, a cook at Paris Las Vegas. “I don’t think the investigation will harm her. In fact, maybe people will take a closer look at her as a candidate because of this and they will see all the good she has done.”
Berkley continues to use a strategy against Heller, now her opponent for Senate, that has been popular among Democrats this election season. In 2011, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, proposed a budget that would have shifted Medicare beneficiaries to private insurance plans with the help of federal subsidies. Heller voted for the plan both as a representative and later in the Senate, after being appointed to the seat vacated by John Ensign.
Factcheck.org, which analyzes claims by politicians and their campaigns, includes the Democrats’ repeated claims that the plan would “end” or “essentially end” Medicare among its “Whoppers of 2011.”
The plan, which has since been altered by Ryan, “would have continued the present Medicare system indefinitely for those now getting benefits, and also for all those who reach age 65 during the next decade,” factcheck.org noted.
Yet, in a Berkley campaign ad released this week, the voiceover states, “Heller voted twice to end Medicare as we know it,” while the text in the ad simply read: “Dean Heller voted twice to end Medicare.”
Heller released his own ad this week that quotes The New York Times story and accuses Berkley of “advocating policies for financial gain.”
Berkley and Dunson also criticized Heller for his 2011 vote on a House budget bill that included an item on a housing program for veterans.
“He voted to gut funding for the housing voucher program that got America’s heroes, Nevada’s veterans, off the streets and put a roof over their heads,” Berkley told the crowd.
However, factcheck.org notes the item kept current funding but declined to add $75 million to the program, as had been done in three previous budget years. Republicans have pointed out the current allotment of vouchers was not exhausted.
As the ads released in the wake of the House Ethics Committee decision indicate, Heller most likely will try to keep reminding voters of the questions of impropriety while Berkley will try to refocus attention on issues such as job creation.
“This is an easy attack for (Heller),” Berkley said of the ethics investigation. “But I am absolutely convinced that at the end of the day, no matter how many commercials they run, the people of Nevada know who has been on their side year after year and will be on their side in the U.S. Senate.”
I support Berkley. I have to.
Just a glance at Heller's record of voting tells me he's not on the working peoples' side here in Nevada. He could care less about us. Heller only cares for the rich and everyone else are targets for his predations.
Besides that, I STILL say that, because that pond scum, now current veteranarian cat doctor, John Ensign, left in utter disgrace to avoid being thrown out and/or criminally prosecuted, this Senate Seat has been lost to the incompetent Tea/Republican Party. They still need to pay for the utter embarassment and still lingering disgrace to Nevada politics. We simply don't want another Tea/Republican. They lost all rights to it. Heller was appointed. Not elected. Not even popularly elected. And his dumb votes are just a continuation of Ensign's insanity. As far as I see, Heller is just keeping this Senate Seat warm. Before it gets taken away from him in the voting process.
It will flip to Berkley on November 6, 2012! People are sick and tired of Tea/Republican Party ideals that are wayyyyyy far outside the realm of sensibility. It serves only them. But the rest of Nevada, it gets us nowhere.
Just another corrupt and incompetent politician sure to be elected here in Nevada, where people like Steven "never met a spending bill I didnt like and if you disagree you're a racist" Horsford, John "the double dip" Oceguara, Sheriff "Dizzy", and the top Demopublican Boob Harry Reid win easy election after easy election in a State where one must conclude the electorate is, shall we say, not too bright (see above)...and then wonder why Nevada slogs around at the bottom of the economic "recovery".
Was Rep. Berkley successful in preventing the lowering of Medicare reimbursement rates for her husband's political action group? If so, where were the rates cut so that her husband's business could still rake in the federal dollars?
Shelley Berkeley, the same Demopublican that voted for the ACA even though she had reservations about the bill (she called it terrible) because "she (Pelosi) will punish me if I don't". There's leadership for ya!
Yes. the Democrats berkley and Reid have done such a wonderful job for NV. let's see highest unemployment rate, highest foreclosure rate, Reid bought and paid for by casinos to promote online gaming. Lord knows that will create a zillion jobs. Reid juicing his son in as an assistant DA in Henderson although he didn't meet the minimum job experience requirements and Berkley voting to make sure her husband had a job although the Kindney Transplant unit failed to meet the standards. Wow! Is that all you got? You think this is how NV should be. These people have been in charge foreever and look where we are? You would have to be an idiot to think these people are actually doing something for you. They work for the Casinos.
I am violating a rule about posting to share the following link:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/politic...
I do not believe the Sun should be citing Politifact as evidence to counter a claim about Dean Heller's vote. If it wishes to claim that Shelley Berkley is inaccurate in criticizing Heller's vote, all well and good. But it should choose a credible source.
Colin, "I have to vote for Berkely...." Please, your vote is in the bag. You can't stand that the Joker look alike contest winner did something illegal.
Berkely can at least live on her husbands padded income when she is voted out.
"Berkley finds refuge from ethics questions among supporters at home"
Translation - Need another surgery!
You people can't handle the truth. This woman will soon be admonished by the bi-partisan ethics committee. The fact is Dean Heller is squeaky clean and you have to find lies that reasonable organizations have called lies, but you can't accept. Here's the problem, they let some of you illiterates vote. Make sure you do what you're told. Rochelle, you got some splanin' to do.
Just in case anyone cares, your U.S. Congress is continuing to send U.S. wealth to foreigners, most recently, $9 BB promised to Israel. But wait, there were two dissenters in the House against the bill, I'm sure one was Shelley Berkley...let's see...just kidding, she's about as knee jerk as they come. The only dissenters were Dingell-(D)Mi and, naturally Ron Paul.
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/201...
Democrats have pretty low standards so I saw this coming.
No big deal that she worked hard to make sure money would continue to come in for her hubby.
Heck....why be a politican if you can't bring the dough in for your friends, family and yourself.
Her union boss friends don't question her lining her pockets as long as she supports them lining theirs? Really? This is the best defense anyone could find for her breaking every rule in Congress?
Are we suppose to support Berkeley because the voters of Harlem decided to reelect Charlie Rangel? OUCH!
Has this woman had a lot of plastic surgery? In some pictures she looks utterly awful...almost puppet like.
How noble! How gallant! How selfless can a person be?!?!
Maybe she should just skip the Senate and go for Sainthood.
Ummm...you said that was a UNANIMOUS vote for a full investigation? Democrats as well as Republicans voted that there is something smelly here?
OK - skip the Sainthhood and just give her a full U.S. Pension for life.