Congressional Witness: Dodd, Conrad Knew They Got Sweetheart Mortgages, AP Reports

The Associated Press has obtained secret congressional testimony in which a former employee of Countrywide Financial's "VIP" program told investigators that Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) knew they were getting special treatment on their mortgage applications from the lender.

According to transcripts of the testimony of Robert Feinberg to the House Oversight Committee, the two senators were told, "who you know is basically how you're coming in here." Feinberg also said the informal policy in his department was, "You don't say 'no' to the VIP."

Both Dodd and Conrad have said they did not know they were on a VIP list when the were approved for mortgages from Countrywide.

In addition to speaking to the House Oversight Committee, the AP reported that Feinberg also testified privately to the Senate Ethics Committee. The full AP story is HERE.

Dodd, who is up for re-election in 2010, was ranked Monday by The Washington Post as the Democrat most likely to lose his Senate seat next year.

A May Quinnipiac poll showed that just 35 percent of Connecticut voters consider Dodd to be "honest and trustworthy." Of those who said they did not trust Dodd, 11 percent specifically cited the Countrywide deal as the reason.