Top Republican health care negotiator (Sen. Baucus - D) has affair with woman he nominated for post

[Bluebear]

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus’ office confirmed late Friday night that the Montana Democrat was carrying on an affair with his state office director, Melodee Hanes, when he nominated her to be U.S. attorney in Montana.

According to a source familiar with their relationship, Hanes and Baucus began their relationship in the summer of 2008 – nearly a year before Baucus and his wife, Wanda, divorced in April 2009. The Senator had informally separated from his wife in March 2008 and they were living apart when he began dating Hanes, according to Baucus' office.

Hanes ended her employment with Baucus in the spring of this year.

Hanes, who is divorced and now lives with Baucus in the Eastern Market neighborhood of Washington, D.C., ultimately withdrew her name from consideration for the U.S. attorney position in order to move to Washington, and she now works in the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention as a counselor to the administrator.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/41188-1.html?ET=rollcall:e6074:80068245a:&st=email

[DesertFlower]

1. i think you mean top democratic negotiator. nt

[Bluebear]

2. I most certainly do not :)

[Luminous Animal]

3. Aw c'mon Bluebear.

Without a doubt, you can take him to task for nepotism but let's be honest here... he wasn't having an affair. He and his wife were separated.

[Bluebear]

5. Well, the article frames it as an affair, but my point IS the nepotism

[Luminous Animal]

7. This is GD. YOU have the power to frame the story.

Now, I'm a smart gal bu I had to read through a few times to assure myself that the details of the story did not match the headline.

[lapfog_1]

4. Pictures... these stories are always better with pictures.

[SoCalDem]

6. sure...he separated from his wife FIRST

long-time married guys do this all the time.. they break up their families, initiate costs for extra residences, disrupt the lives of kids & grandkids...then they move out and set up a hope chest of dreams... dram that someday they will meet a wonderful woman..:rofl:

sor-ry..it "don't work that-ta-way".. they cheat FIRST, and only after they have decided that the "new" one is worth the turmoil, do they bolt from the security.. first they have to "secure" certain things.. hide money..stash valuables..and then they dump the old model for the newer one.,.

[Bluebear]

9. tell that to the Animal above :)

[Vinca]

8. Same animal, different stripes.

He must be picking up tips from his buddies on the right.

[branders seine]

10. how much damage can one guy do?