Sen. Christopher J. Dodd is trying to douse the latest flareup over allegations he received preferential treatment on mortgages to refinance homes in Washington D.C. and Connecticut.
In the latest in a continuing storyline that could threaten his re-election chances in 2010 Dodd said that he wasnt concerned about the possibility of an active ethics investigation into his mortgages with Countrywide Financial.
The Ethics Committee operates in secret except in rare cases. There is no way to know how long the early stage of its examination of the mortgage deal could take or whether it is likely to progress to a formal investigation.
Dodd said he submitted answers to questions from the Ethics Committee last July but he has not appeared before them or had any subsequent contact with the panel. Theyve had our stuff since last July" he said Tuesday. Thats the last Ive heard from them."
Dodd said he did not anticipate having to appear before the panel and said his wife has not had to respond to any questions.
My conscience is clear in terms of what we did" Dodd said. We negotiated loans. We shopped. The rates they gave us were readily available to the general public. Its not like its hidden information. ... Im completely mystified as to why this persists as a question."
On Monday the Associated Press reported that in testimony to the Senate Ethics Committee a Countrywide official claimed the five-term Democrat knew he was getting preferential mortgage treatment in 2003.
The senators spokesman Bryan DeAngelis circulated a memo Monday night showing the rates Dodd received were at or above market value. Local press reports also have confirmed that the rates Dodd received were widely available.
As for claims that Dodd knew he was part of a VIP program Friends of Angelo" named after Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo Dodd said: I never talked to this man. I never met him. Frankly Ive said all the way along that Ive never heard of the Friends of Angelo Mozilo until last June."
Had anyone ever offered him a special deal he would have broken that relationship in two seconds" Dodd said.
Connecticuts Republican party has been quick to publicize the latest reporting on the ethics investigation and Dodds Republican Senate challengers have called for Dodd to be held to account. State Sen. Sam Caligiuri who is competing with former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons and former Ireland Ambassador Tom Foley in a GOP primary even called for Dodd to resign if this testimony is true."
It all comes at an inconvenient time for Dodd who was just starting to see an uptick in public standing after hitting rock-bottom in polls in the spring due to in part to questions raised by the Countrywide investigation.
Dodd also has had to swat back other allegations that he and has family have benefited from his position in the Senate and influence over the financial industry as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee as well as unrest over his decision to move his family to Iowa in 2007 in preparation for a short-lived presidential run.
As he prepares to return home to Connecticut for the August recess he would no doubt prefer to focus on his work on the Senates health care overhaul legislation and continuing efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system then field more questions in the long-running Countrywide saga.
News of the Friends of Angelo" program emerged in the summer of 2008 and raised a series of questions about the Countrywide loans obtained by Dodd and Senate colleague Kent Conrad D-N.D. Conrad has also denied any knowledge that he had received special treatment.
CQ Politics rates the general election as a Tossup
To see how all the 2010 Senate races are shaping up check out the CQ Politics election map
Kathleen Hunter and Bart Jansen contributed to this story.
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd is trying to douse the latest flareup over allegations he received preferential treatment on mortgages to refinance homes in Washington D.C. and Connecticut.
In the latest in a continuing storyline that could threaten his re-election chances in 2010 Dodd said that he wasnt concerned about the possibility of an active ethics investigation into his mortgages with Countrywide Financial.
The Ethics Committee operates in secret except in rare cases. There is no way to know how long the early stage of its examination of the mortgage deal could take or whether it is likely to progress to a formal investigation.
Dodd said he submitted answers to questions from the Ethics Committee last July but he has not appeared before them or had any subsequent contact with the panel. Theyve had our stuff since last July" he said Tuesday. Thats the last Ive heard from them."
Dodd said he did not anticipate having to appear before the panel and said his wife has not had to respond to any questions.
My conscience is clear in terms of what we did" Dodd said. We negotiated loans. We shopped. The rates they gave us were readily available to the general public. Its not like its hidden information. ... Im completely mystified as to why this persists as a question."
On Monday the Associated Press reported that in testimony to the Senate Ethics Committee a Countrywide official claimed the five-term Democrat knew he was getting preferential mortgage treatment in 2003.
The senators spokesman Bryan DeAngelis circulated a memo Monday night showing the rates Dodd received were at or above market value. Local press reports also have confirmed that the rates Dodd received were widely available.
As for claims that Dodd knew he was part of a VIP program Friends of Angelo" named after Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo Dodd said: I never talked to this man. I never met him. Frankly Ive said all the way along that Ive never heard of the Friends of Angelo Mozilo until last June."
Had anyone ever offered him a special deal he would have broken that relationship in two seconds" Dodd said.
Connecticuts Republican party has been quick to publicize the latest reporting on the ethics investigation and Dodds Republican Senate challengers have called for Dodd to be held to account. State Sen. Sam Caligiuri who is competing with former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons and former Ireland Ambassador Tom Foley in a GOP primary even called for Dodd to resign if this testimony is true."
It all comes at an inconvenient time for Dodd who was just starting to see an uptick in public standing after hitting rock-bottom in polls in the spring due to in part to questions raised by the Countrywide investigation.
Dodd also has had to swat back other allegations that he and has family have benefited from his position in the Senate and influence over the financial industry as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee as well as unrest over his decision to move his family to Iowa in 2007 in preparation for a short-lived presidential run.
As he prepares to return home to Connecticut for the August recess he would no doubt prefer to focus on his work on the Senates health care overhaul legislation and continuing efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system then field more questions in the long-running Countrywide saga.
News of the Friends of Angelo" program emerged in the summer of 2008 and raised a series of questions about the Countrywide loans obtained by Dodd and Senate colleague Kent Conrad D-N.D. Conrad has also denied any knowledge that he had received special treatment.
CQ Politics rates the general election as a Tossup
To see how all the 2010 Senate races are shaping up check out the CQ Politics election map
Kathleen Hunter and Bart Jansen contributed to this story.
