The Senate will vote Wednesday on a resolution denouncing Sen. Dave Durenberger for financial misconduct. Only Durenberger and, perhaps, fellow Minnesota Republican Rudy Boschwitz are expected not to vote for the resolution. Durenberger's press secretary, Lois West, said the senator would vote ``present.'' Boschwitz's press secretary, Tim Droogsma, said his boss may vote the same way. West said Durenberger had ruled out a challenge to the resolution, which she said the rest of Durenberger's colleagues are expected to approve. ``There have been senators who said they would support him in whatever he wanted them to do,'' West said. ``Durenberger, if asked, has been saying that he would just as soon they accept it _ as he has done.'' The Senate Ethics Committee recommended last week that the full chamber denounce Durenberger for ``unequivocally unethical'' conduct in connection with a book-promotion scheme and Senate payments on his Minneapolis condominium. Durenberger will be required to make up to $123,000 in restitution to the Senate. He had appealed to the committee for a lighter penalty, saying denouncement was ``much too onerous.'' ``Once the decision was made, he said he wasn't going to challenge it. It was appropriate to argue (the penalty) in advance,'' West said. Boschwitz was considering voting against the resolution until he talked to Durenberger and learned he would not challenge the sanction, Droogsma said. Boschwitz believes Durenberger has already been punished by the length of the 22-month-old ethics investigation and the $500,000 in legal fees he has incurred, Droogsma said.
