Coleman: Franken Hypocritical, Took $530,000 From Wall Street Interests

October 1, 2008 4:40 p.m. EST

St. Paul, MN (AHN) - Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) shot back on Wednesday at a new TV ad from Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate Al Franken that said he had taken $2 million from Wall Street and financial interests that have caused the financial crisis.

"Angry Al Franken has now morphed into Angry Hypocrite Al Franken -- and his new TV ad conclusively demonstrates he will exploit the misery of others for his own political gain," Coleman campaign manager Cullen Sheehan said in a statement. "Having lined his own pocket with an estimated $2 million in speaking fees from Wall Street groups like Bear Stearns and Goldman Sachs, Franken has elevated the art of hypocrisy to a level unseen before in Minnesota politics."

Franken began running an ad on Tuesday accusing Coleman of taking more money from "Wall Street interests" than any other Senate candidate in the country. "Coleman has supported the Bush economic plan all the way - that's led to a $10 trillion national debt. Norm Coleman. Part of the problem - not the solution," an announcer says in the statewide spot titled "Turmoil."

Franken also released a statement on Wednesday ahead of a scheduled Senate vote on the government's financial rescue plan. "If we're going to pay a premium to clean up this mess, we had better fix the problem that caused it. That problem is the failure - the refusal - of this administration and those who support its economic agenda to hold Wall Street accountable... and enforce real oversight over our financial system."