The previously reported loan from Maria Cantwell to Ron Dotzauer is still a mystery. Neither Cantwell nor Dotzauer will disclose the exact amount, the timing, the terms, what it was for, and why it was still unpaid as of her latest disclosure. Dotzauer implausibly claims he can't remember what it was for. Public radio's Austin Jenkins says that Cantwell "turns downright testy" when asked about it. Cantwell has not reported interest income from the loan since 2000, suggesting it might not be a bona fide loan, but an improperly reported gift or payment.

The loan first appears in Cantwell's 2000 candidate financial disclosure, covering the year 1999 (p. 6 on the May 2000 report here). The 2000 disclosure fails to list the size of the obligation, but shows that she received income of between $2,501 - $5,000 from the loan. Cantwell's disclosure filed in 2001 covering 2000 (posted here) shows both that the loan is in the range $15,000 - $50,000 and that she received $2,501 - $5,000 in income from the loan. Her subsequent disclosures show that the loan is still on the books and in the same monetary range, but do not report any income from the loan. (If any interest was subsequently paid, it would have been negligible, below the $201 reporting threshhold in any year).

Dotzauer's ex-wife Angela suggests in a recent court filing and in media interviews that she was not aware of the loan during the post-divorce litigation over Dotzauer's unpaid financial obligations to Angela . Although 1999 is the earliest documented reference to the loan, I don't believe that either Cantwell or Dotzauer have actually confirmed that the loan was extended in 1999. But here's a theory - Dotzauer married his current wife, Cynthia First, in August 1999. [see Snohomish County records] It would have been reasonable for Dotzauer and his new wife to want to start their marriage with a financial cushion sheltered from claims by Dotzauer's ex-wife Angela. And who better to provide that than the newly minted Internet gazillionaire/business associate/ex-girlfriend who had been implicated in the failure of the last marriage? Another curious connection - First was Snohomish County PUD Commissioner from 1998 to 2004. One of Cantwell's first big projects after becoming Senator in 2001 was to intervene with the FERC on behalf of the PUD in its contract dispute with the bankrupt Enron. (i.e. to save First and the PUD from its poorly negotiated contract with Enron). First is now representing her husband in his ongoing litigation with Angela, including in his effort to prevent/delay the unsealing of his divorce file, which is waged largely for Cantwell's benefit. At the October 24 hearing First argued (unsuccessfully) to get Angela's attorney disqualified, to prevent her from advocating for the opening of the files.