Oberstar Packing, Staff Shreds Constituent Cases
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- Veteran Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar packed up his committee chairman-sized office on Capitol Hill this week and moved to the basement. Dozens of outgoing congressional members are making room for newly-elected representatives.
Seventeen Oberstar staffers are depending on cell phones and laptops as they wrap up work during the last month of the current Congress. They're busy destroying constituent cases in Minnesota's Eighth District, as required by congressional officials. Constituent files that haven't been resolved are shredded under privacy regulations. Constituents have been told to contact incoming Rep. Chip Cravaack or Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar.
After serving 36 years in Congress, Oberstar was voted out of office last month.
Cravaack tells the Duluth News Tribune he tried to call Oberstar. But, staff say Oberstar was on vacation at the time.
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