Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., issued a statement Saturday regarding the revelation that he had nominated his girlfriend for the job of top federal prosecutor in Montana.
Baucus disputed reports that he was having an affair with Melodee Hanes, saying he and Hanes were both separated from their spouses when their relationship began.
Baucus also defended his decision to nominate Hanes as the U.S. Attorney in Montana, saying he appointed “an independent, third-party reviewer and established an open and fair process that resulted in three names being sent, unranked, to the White House for consideration.”
Baucus said they eventually decided “in the end, it would be best for Mel to withdraw her name from consideration.”
So far Democrats have had little to say about the matter and Republicans have been pretty quiet as well, although Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called for an ethics investigation into the matter.
Hanes later applied for and received another job in the Justice Department, serving as acting deputy administrator for policy in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Baucus said Hanes won that job “independently” of him.
The two live together on Capitol Hill.
