By:  Winston Smith

Las Vegas, Nevada -   The “poor boy from Searchlight” is now “Mr. Vegas Bucks” Reid constantly “brags” about his very tough childhood in Searchlight, Nevada…a souvenir of the Wild, Wild West, living in a shack with no indoor toilet, how hard his father worked as a miner, etc.

 

But NOW Federal disclosure documents reveal Sen. Harry Reid is the 34th-richest Man in the US Senate Millionaires club (estimated as much as $6.2 Million by the non-partisan “Center for Responsive Politics”).

 

How did he do it? Well, he has been in Public Office, appointed or elected, for 41 of the last 44 years (city attorney, state legislator, Lt. Governor, Chair of Nevada Gaming Commission, U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

 

Ethically challenged. Reid’s son and son-in-law became Federal lobbyists, working for Nevada firms, and lobbying the Nevada Senator. Only when the Los Angeles Times exposed that scam (June 2003), did Harry ban relatives from lobbying his office, and the 2 sons let their lobbyist registration lapse. Here are the details:

 

 

 "So Pervasive Are The Ties Among Reid, Members Of His Family And Nevada's Leading Industries And Institutions That It's Difficult To Find A Significant Field In Which Such A Relationship Does Not Exist." (Los Angeles Times by Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, "In Nevada, the Name to Know Is Reid,” 6/23/03)

 

 

"What Reid did not explain was that (The Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002) promised a cavalcade of benefits to real estate developers, corporations and local institutions that were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbying fees to his sons' and son-in-law's firms, federal lobbyist reports show. ... Other provisions were intended to benefit a real estate development headed by a senior partner in the Nevada law firm that employs all four of Reid's sons..." (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, "In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid," Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

 

 

"If there is an appearance of a conflict, Reid said, it is unavoidable in a large, talented and politically active family such as his. 'My kids are well- educated. They are nice young men. My daughter is a lovely young woman,' Reid said, adding that his son-in-law is a 'brilliant lawyer.' 'I have done, I think, everything I can to protect myself and to protect my boys,' he said. 'The only thing I could do to help myself is to have less kids.'" (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, "In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid," Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

 

 

CNBC'S Eamon Javers: "Take a look at Senator Harry Reid. He's a Democrat from Nevada. His son, Key Reid, is a lobbyist. He's with Lionel, Sawyer & Collins. His clients include the Olympic Land Corporation, the city of Las Vegas, the city of Boulder, Colorado; about $220,000 worth of billings reported to Key Reid's clients in 2002. ... Steven Barringer is Senator Reid's son-in- law. He's also a lobbyist, in fact works in the same building with Key Reid. He works for a firm called MGN, Inc. His represents American Electric Power Company, the National Mining Association and Verizon, among others. He's married to the senator's daughter, Lana." (CNBC's "Capital Report," 8/7/03)

 

 

Harry Reid knew how to respond when the news media started asking him pointed questions about a sleazy Las Vegas land deal: he hung up on the Associated Press reporter interviewing him!

 

And it was primarily the liberal mainstream media which exposed these abuses…. the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, so Harry could not blame conservative opponents.

 

The “Chicago Tribune” explained some of Harry’s pay-to-play ethics:

 

“In 2001, he made $1.1 million on a Las Vegas transaction that got him some unwanted attention from the Senate ethics committee…..Now, we learn he bought out a business partner in another land deal at a price that looks too good to be true and that he has sponsored legislation that would benefit that former partner.

 

An investigation by the Los Angeles Times found that in 2002, Reid paid $10,000 to a pension fund--controlled by an old friend, Clair Haycock--which owned a 37 percent share of a 160-acre parcel in Bullhead City, Ariz. That is one-ninth what Haycock paid when he and Reid bought the land 25 years ago.

 

But the Times story raises the possibility that Haycock was getting more from his friend than $10,000. A few months later, the senator introduced a bill to prevent oil companies from suddenly canceling contracts with lubricants dealers-- of which Haycock is one. The lawyer who represented Haycock in a dispute with Mobil Oil says, "The Haycocks provided access to Sen. Reid." In the end, the proposal went nowhere.” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 20, 2007

 

But it only got tougher when some newspapers compared his promise of sweeping Ethics Reforms with Harry Reid’s actual conduct in office. Here is the Providence, Rhode Island Journal’s view of Senator Reid’s “Don’t do as I do, Do as I say” hypocrisy:

 

 

“This isn't the first time Mr. Reid's rather exciting land transactions have been in the news. Last year, the Associated Press reported that, in 2001, he had "collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale, although he hadn't personally owned the property for 3 years." Another friend, former casino lawyer Jay Brown, arranged that deal.

 

His name, the AP reported, had surfaced in federal probes of organized crime and political corruption in the state. Moreover, the senator failed to report required information about the transaction on his disclosure forms.

 

Mr. Reid, who promised the "most sweeping (ethics) reforms since Watergate" once Democrats took power, has maintained that his highly lucrative deals were legitimate…. [Democrats] might want to consider whether Mr. Reid is really the best person to hold such a key position right now. Hypocrisy only breeds cynicism that destroys trust in government.” Providence, R.I. Journal, 02/05/2007

 

The Washington Times reminds us how Senator Reid reacts when faced with some tough question of his own:

 

By the time Rep. Nancy Pelosi promised "the most honest, the most open and the most ethical Congress in history," a partial picture of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's penchant for questionable real estate deals was already public, including the fact that Mr. Reid last year hung up on an Associated Press reporter who had the temerity to ask. “ Washington Times, Jan. 31, 2007

 

This the same Harry Reid who is the 34th-richest Man in the US Senate Millionaires club (estimated to be worth as much as $ 6.2 Million by the non-partisan “Center for Responsive Politics”).

 

 

He constantly “brags” about his tough childhood in Searchlight, Nevada. He had no indoor toilet, how hard his father worked as a rock miner etc. But now when the Senate is in session, Harry Reid owns a Condo in the exclusive Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The “poor boy” paid $750,000 cash to buy it. Controversy ensued when he used his personal ‘campaign PAC to hand out $3300 in bonuses to the hotel staff. When the AP found out about it, Reid quickly reimbursed the campaign fund!

 

“Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid paid cash for a $750,000 condo at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives. But when he gave Christmas bonuses to the doorman and other support staff, he used campaign donations instead of his own money.

 

“Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for personal use.

 

“Questioned about the campaign expenditures by The Associated Press, Reid's office said Monday his lawyers had approved them but he nonetheless was personally reimbursing his campaign for the $3,300 he had directed to the staff holiday fund at his residence. His office said he got the money to buy the Ritz condo from an earlier house sale.” Associated Press, 10/17/2006

 

 

Disclosure documents show Harry is now the 34th-richest Senator, and worth upwards of $6 Million. But Harry wanted more income, and the public was forced to pay up.

 

Reid managed to get his congressional pay raise (to $158,100) in 2003, without having to actually vote for it. When other Senators tried to block the increase, Harry Reid voted to “table” that action. When the tabling motion passed, the way was cleared for multi-millionaire Harry to get another pay boost from the Taxpayers (tabling Vote occurred on Oct. 23, 2003, Record vote # 406) .

 

Harry Reid was the only member of the Nevada congressional delegation to vote for the 2003 pay Raise.

 

Reid’s s home-state newspapers scorched him for the deception, with the Las Vegas Review Journal editorial calling him a “Looter”!

 

“Last week, the U.S. Senate conducted its usual ritual, giving its members a pay raise. By a 60-34 vote, senators rejected a move to exempt the lawmakers from a scheduled 'cost of living' increase … As a result of this vote, senators will receive approximately $158,000 next year -- an increase of $21,000 over the past five congressional terms. The Senate vote followed a similar move by the House. (Nevada's Harry Reid voted with the looters…” Las Vegas Review Journal, 10/28/2003