FARGO - U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad said today he has never viewed a North Dakota Insurance Department TV ad which he wants targeted in a federal investigation.
In an interview with WDAY Radio News, Conrad said he believes the ad is meant to benefit the reelection campaign of North Dakota's Repulican Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm, but he said this morning that he hasn't viewed the ad.
Conrad, D-N.D., wants the federal Health and Human Services Department's inspector general to determine if the ad is an appropriate use of federal money. Hamm's office used federal grant money to produce the TV commercial, which he said was created to benefit N.D. residents. The ad invites North Dakota seniors to call the insurance department for information about health insurance and prescription drugs.
Hamm said nothing about the ad is inappropriate and Conrad's admission confirms what he's always suspected. Hamm, who was appointed to the position by Gov. John Hoeven last fall, is running for election this fall to a four-year term.
Hamm has called Conrad's claims "clearly partisan in nature."
