U.S. Senator Max Baucus nominates girlfriend for U.S. Attorney

Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus was dating staffer Melodee Hanes after he and his wife separated. She stepped down and was later nominated by Baucus to be the U.S. Attorney from Montana. Shortly after her nomination, hanes remove her name from consideration, and is now working in the Justice Department.

Max Baucus has defended his decision to nominate Hanes by focusing on her credentials. I have no reason to doubt Melodee Hanes’ credentials, and I wouldn’t be surprised if her qualifications met or exceeded those of other nominees. With that said, the nomination was inappropriate, to say the least.

You might be appalled by Max Baucus’ decision to nominate his girlfriend, but I’m even more disgusted by his lack of shame and attempt to rationalize this poor decision. A staffer explained the decision by saying, “Senator Baucus recommended each of the three candidates based solely on qualifications, and merit, knowing whichever one the White House selected would serve Montana well.” Again, no one is questioning Ms. Hanes qualifications. What is in question is whether her relationship with Max Baucus gave her an unfair advantage. Most rational people would agree that it was certainly a factor.

To the people of Montana: Do you really want someone so deficient in ethics representing you in the Senate?