Max Baucus Nominated Girlfriend for Attorney Position

Baucus has been one of the key players in the health care debate, to be frank he has been the most influential of all the politicians in both houses of Congress in regards to what the legislation would look like. It was he who pushed exchanges, a form of the tax on employee benefits, and it was his decision to view the public option as unneeded that has driven many on the left just batty. This is quite important, especially when you factor in that Obama, as vague as he has been on what legislation he would support, has adopted the "Baucus" bill as essentially the most acceptable White House bill. Max Baucus Nominated Girlfriend for Attorney Position

A spokesman for Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, said early Saturday that the senator nominated his girlfriend, a lawyer who worked for him at the time, for a United States attorney position last March.

The girlfriend, Melodee Hanes, worked for Mr. Baucus as his state office director and as a field director between 2003 and 2009. Mr. Baucus and Ms. Hanes were separated from their spouses at the time they became romantically involved in the summer of 2008, said the spokesman, Tyler Matsdorf. Ms. Hanes eventually resigned from her position, Mr. Matsdorf said, and both she and the senator subsequently divorced their spouses.

“Senator Baucus is currently in a mature and happy relationship with Melodee Hanes,” Mr. Matsdorf said in a statement. “They are both divorced, and in no way was their relationship the cause of their respective divorces.”

At face value, its just one elite doing a favor for another. But in a day and age where Washington appears more disconnected from the rest of this is hardly encouraging news about our political leaders. Considering Baucus had enemies on the left and right, which side leaked this?