Ken Silverstein, writing in Harper's Washington Babylon blog, says he's been told by two sources that Minnesota businessman Nasser Kazeminy, a donor to the Republican Party and  Norm Coleman, have covered the senator's "lavish clothing purchases at Nieman Marcus in Minneapolis."

Silverstein says: "The sources were not certain of the dates of the purchases; if they were made before Coleman joined the Senate in 2003, he obviously would not be required to report it under senate rules. But having a private businessman pay for your clothing is never a good idea if you're a public official (Coleman was mayor of St. Paul from 1994 to 2002)."

Kazeminy did not respond to Silverstein's request for comment.

Silverstein says Coleman's press office has failed to give him a direct answer to his questions about Kazeminy, issuing this terse response: "As required, any gift Norm Coleman has received from his friends has been fully reported."