Ben Nelson, Wife Own as Much as $6 Million in Berkshire Stock

[kpete]

Source: Bloomberg

Ben Nelson, Wife Own as Much as $6 Million in Berkshire Stock
April 27, 2010, 6:26 PM EDT

By Jonathan D. Salant and James Rowley

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Ben Nelson, who supported an exemption to proposed derivatives rules sought by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., owned as much as $6 million worth of stock with his wife in the Omaha, Nebraska-based company, financial disclosures show.

A Nebraska Democrat, Nelson reported last year that he owned between $500,000 and $1 million of stock in Berkshire in 2008, and his wife owned between $1 million and $5 million. Senators report their holdings each year in broad ranges. New financial disclosure reports are due May 15.

Nelson and his wife, Diane, owned more shares in Berkshire than any other member of Congress, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group.

The senator, 68, said his ownership of stock in Berkshire, a Nebraska company with “probably hundreds of thousands of shareholders,” didn’t pose a conflict of interest or an appearance of ethical impropriety. He said he had owned the stock since before he became governor and his wife had been a Berkshire stockholder for 30 years.

Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-27/ben-nelson-wife-own-as-much-as-6-million-in-berkshire-stock.html

[Angry Dragon]

1. And owning $6 million is not a conflict?? ...... Bullshit

[dem mba]

10. hey that's only like 5 shares of stock for Berkshire

but seriously, if this guy and his wife have a portfolio worth a few tens of millions, which he probably does, then I don't think this is such a big deal.

as long as everything is disclosed, i'm not so worried.

[Angry Dragon]

11. And when was the last time a politician

disclosed everything??

[dem mba]

14. um, everytime they run for office?

if they don't it can be a huge mess. I've heard of politicians putting their finances in blind trusts, so they don't have to worry about being accused of conflicts of interest.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/index.php

[RC]

2. I found an error in the story.

"A Nebraska Democrat, Nelson..."

That should read; "A Nebraska DINO, Nelson..."

[SpiralHawk]

3. The Husker Huckster

Nelson is truely a republicon homelander corporate lapdog, lamely disguising himself under a cheap D toupee

[boomerbust]

5. Hawk

You got the Nelson hairdo down to a T.

[Cant trust em]

4. I am shocked and amazed by this.

This blows my mind.

I had no idea this was coming.

I am stunned.

I am flabbergasted.

I am dumbfounded.

I am :sarcasm:.

[2Design]

6. no wonder he votes republican n/t

[Grassy Knoll]

7. Rachel Maddow just exposed this asshat,,,,,n/t

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

8. I think thats more than Rachel Maddow mentioned tonight

well, Ben has to look out for Ben, and we have to look out for ourselves.

[bikingaz]

9. What else do we not know ?

They don't vote for the good of the country. They vote for what is best for THEM !!!!!

Screw the electorate. They know that they can vote themselves salary increases, better perks, better health care, better everything and we pay.

Americans have to be the dumbest people on the planet. In places where there are dictators, they take the country by force. Not us. We actually vote for the scoundrels.

We deserve the royal screwing we are getting !!!!!

[AngryAmish]

12. The greed of these Republikkkans knowns no bounds.

[Rapier09]

13. Nelson is kind of a fool

Doesn't seem to be heading anywhere but on the way out.

[newtothegame]

15. Berkshire-Hathaway isn't derivatives.

It isn't evil to own stock.