Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid a Democrat from Nevada is in the crosshairs for a very shady land deal. The story is all over the news, although apparently not held in as high regard, as scandals go, as the salacious Foley story. But, it is growing and growing fast. So many are giving excellent coverage, I have decided not to try to compete, but instead provide some links so you can catch up on whatever parts of the story you want. Suffice to say, I cannot stand Harry Reid. His whiney voice and the stupid things that come out of his mouth turn my stomach. And, my reaction to this story is one of total disinterest and nonsurprise. The man is sleazy and he gives me the creeps.
Newsbusters, Mark Levin, AJ Strata and Flopping Aces have been all over the story. I have provided snippets to give you a taste of each post:
Commuters' Treat: WABC's Mark Levin Cites Trio of NewsBuster Items on Reid
Thursday evening, nationally syndicated radio host Mark Levin treated listeners to a round-up of NewsBuster items documenting how big liberal media outlets like CNN and the New York Times are playing down or totally ignoring questions about Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s failure to properly disclose a $1.1 million land sale.
Numerous MRC/NB staffers heard Levin cite NewsBusters in the opening minutes of his 6pm EDT radio show, which is heard live in Washington on WMAL-AM. Levin’s flagship station is WABC in New York City, where his program is the top-rated AM show in its time slot. MP3 Audio (1.35 MB)
The Web site MarkLevinFan.com posted a lengthy audio file of Levin’s entire discourse on Reid from Thursday’s show. MRC’s Scott Whitlock transcribed the portion in which Levin cited postings from himself, MRC’s Tim Graham and TimesWatch editor Clay Waters.
Network Silence on Reid's Ethics; Reid Lawyer Is Brother of Vegas Newspaper Editor
As they did on Thursday, ABC, CBS and NBC again this morning (Friday) omitted any reference to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s evident failure to properly disclose $1.1 million land deal (although all three programs broadcast updates on the two-week old Mark Foley scandal). So far, the only broadcast network coverage has been a benign 30-second mention on Thursday’s NBC Nightly News.
So the Reid corruption scandal is starting to explode. First there is this report by the WaPo which details much more then just non-disclosure of financial dealings. No, we’re talking influence peddling:
Someone posted to YouTube a news report from Nevada about the Harry Reid land deal, which includes the audio of the hang-up:
Wasn’t it Pelosi who said the following:
“We’ll turn the most closed and corrupt Congress into the most open and honest Congress,”
Oh really? You better start with your cohorts then:
How Does Reid Get Paid Twice On Land Deal?
Hugh Hewitt is just ripping up the drive-by media by giving them a “Journalism for Dummies: Shady Land Deals” tutorial on what to look for Reid’s land-scam. One item of note is this question that may now be answered:
When Senator Reid and his wife sold the property to Patrick Lane LLC in which he received an interest in return, did he receive any cash at the same time, or any time that year, in partial consideration for his sale of the land to the partnership?
Well, a link hit the site just now (thanks again Rush) that may have some of the answer to this question, because Patrick Lane LLC must have compensated the Reids for the land it purchased in 2004.:
Let’s Bring Clinton Into The Reid Picture As Well?
I began to note that Reid’s efforts on behalf of Del Webb in 1994 were linked in BML records to the Red Rock’s conservation proposal from Bill Clinton. I was not seeing the connection until I ran across this:
Senator Reid’s sinking ship of lies
Today even more water pouring into the already sinking SSS Harry Reid. Today this editorial nails the issue:
“THE BEST CASE for Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is that he was sloppy about financial disclosure rules in accounting for a real estate deal on which he made a $700,000 profit. The more unattractive case is that the senator’s inaccurate description of the investment was an effort to disguise his partnership with a Las Vegas lawyer who’s never been charged with wrongdoing but whose name has surfaced in federal investigations involving organized crime, casinos and political bribery since the 1980s. As of now, the evidence points toward sloppiness; Mr. Reid’s friendship with Jay Brown isn’t exactly a secret in the state. But either way, an Associated Press report about Mr. Reid’s dealings doesn’t cast the senator in an attractive light. Neither does his response to the AP story, which indicates a casual disregard for the importance of accurate reporting of lawmakers’ financial affairs.”
What began as a ethical dilemma for Reid may turn legal if that “organized crime” connection, or other criminal connections begins to seed. Thomas Lifson writes:
Hugh Hewitt: It's The Entitlements, Stupid! MSM and Harry Reid's
Sweetheart Deal
Re: Harry Reid's sweetheart deal, is the MSM:
a.)Too stupid to understand how land use works?
b.)Too lazy to do the digging on the key questions?
c.)Too partisan to turn over the rocks because the Democrats' #1 senator is involved?
d.)All of the above?
On the chance that there are a couple of MSMers long on energy and curiosity but short on how to investigate a land deal, here are some of the questions that need answering, especially given the admission from Senator Reid that the failure to disclose his ownership interest may have been a violation of Senate rules. The obvious possible motive behind a failure to reveal an interest is that the property was going through a public entitlement process that led to its dramatic increase in value. The key to discovering any impropriety beyond the violation of Senate rules, then, is to focus on that entitlement process --the one which Harry Reid may have wanted folks not to know he was involved with.
Was Patrick Lane Development In Rory Reid's District?
Earlier this morning I wrote about Rory Reid, Harry Reid's son, and his position on the Clark County Board of Commissioners around the same time that his father's Patrick Lane LLC benefited from a zoning change that allowed commercial/retail development...
Reid's Interventions And Family Connections, 2003 Edition
I spent most of the evening last night performing some research into the various machinations of the Harry Reid real-estate transactions that netted him a 175% return on his initial $400,000 investment, and the manner in which he hid his...
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