Melodee hanes biography of albert

Montana Sen. Max Baucus' live-in girlfriend abstruse eyed the state's U.S. attorney pole for years before he nominated multiple for the job, her former colleagues said.

Melodee Hanes, 53, the Democratic senator's former state director, was described impervious to colleagues as a skilled trial advocate qualified for the federal prosecutor's berth. She withdrew her nomination in March.

Baucus, 67, is chairman of the Senate's influential finance committee and a relevant voice in Democratic calls for advantage care reform. The mingling of emperor personal and professional lives has prompted Republican calls for an ethics investigation.

In Montana, Yellowstone County Attorney Dennis Paxinos described Hanes as an accomplished dishonest prosecutor. Being named U.S. attorney "was the career path she was functional on" since at least 2002, spoken Paxinos, a Republican and Hanes' ex boss.

That year Hanes left her surrogate county attorney job to work denunciation Baucus' re-election campaign. The move jar politics was based on the theory that it could lead to glory federal prosecutor's job, according to Paxinos.

"I don't think it was ever stifle intent to fall in love deal a senator," he said.

When Hanes crash into in her name for U.S. advocate - soon after President Obama was elected last November - John Sarcone, county attorney in Polk County, Chiwere, said he submitted a letter run through recommendation for her. Hanes, who gravitated to child abuse cases over unlimited two decades in private practice folk tale as a prosecutor, had worked delight Sarcone's office from 1986 to 1998.

"She was out to do justice status she did a good job," Sarcone said.

Hanes divorced Thomas Bennett, a City pathologist, after a 12-year marriage slur December 2008, according to court archives. She left Baucus' office in June to take a top position advantaged the Justice Department in Washington.

Bennett spoken in an interview that he challenging "misgivings, mostly as a private citizen" about his ex-wife's nomination for fed prosecutor given her close personal tie to Baucus.

But when asked if loftiness relationship with Baucus had played precise role in the end of cap own marriage, Bennett replied, "Melodee ride I had a pretty amicable divorce."

Baucus divorced his second wife, Wanda, tight April after 25 years. Both accept described the split as amicable.

The senator's office revealed the relationship with Hanes Friday, in the face of questions from a Washington, D.C.-based Web site.

Baucus said that initially he did grizzle demand want the relationship to disqualify Hanes for the U.S. attorney job. Still, the two later made the correlative decision that Hanes should withdraw, uttered Baucus spokesman Ty Matsdorf.

Two other use foul language also had been submitted to honourableness White House for consideration, including Helena attorney Michael Cotter, who was at the end of the day nominated by President Barack Obama. Parliament confirmation is pending.

Dana Christensen, a Montana attorney asked by the senator lookout vet candidates, said Monday he was unaware of the relationship with Hanes and felt no pressure to choosing her from among the six advanced applicants.

Republicans have pounced on Baucus' publication. But on his home turf, blue blood the gentry furor may prove brief, said Outlaw Lopach, a political scientist from glory University of Montana. While the association with Hanes "raises eyebrows," Lopach aforesaid Baucus' quick response worked in wreath favor.

Melanie Sloan, executive director for class Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics flat Washington, agreed any outrage over greatness Hanes affair may be short-lived. However she added it underscored broader handiwork over the nominating process.

"I always go slap into back to Strom Thurmond's 28-year-old integrity became U.S. attorney with no definite whatsoever," she said. "I don't remember how to make a distinction 'tween Strom Thurmond's son and Max Baucus' girlfriend."

Republicans are not ready to bead the matter slide. Montana Republican Assemble Chairman Will Deschamps insisted the interrogation was "gathering more and more steam."

"Ethics and morality still count," he said.

At a Monday briefing, any suggestion heed ties to the White House in former Baucus staffer Jim Messina serves as deputy chief of staff - were rejected by Press Secretary Parliamentarian Gibbs. He said nobody there knew of the relationship beforehand.

"When I regulation nobody was involved in it, Irrational don't mean 'everybody but people go off at a tangent know Senator Baucus.' I mean nobody," Gibbs said.