Limbaugh: Harry Reid Family Cashing In

Newsmax ^ | Thursday, April 14, 2005

[John Lenin]

Thursday, April 14, 2005 10:19 p.m. EDT

Limbaugh: Harry Reid Family Cashing In

When it comes to cashing in on family connections, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's relatives can't hold a candle to the clan of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who's sponsored legislation that netted his son hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

So says top radio talker Rush Limbaugh, who first unearthed the dirty details on Reid's nepotism last week - a story that has the mainstream press feigning ignorance as they pull out all the stops to nail DeLay.

Story Continues Below

In recent days, the top House Republican has been accused of having his family work on his campaigns - a charge that has Democrats clamoring for his scalp.

But there's been nary a peep of protest about a report that Reid's sons and daughter cashed in on Daddy's connections - a story first reported by the Los Angeles Times two years ago that was unearthed by Limbaugh last week.

For instance, the Nevada Democrat once sponsored an environmental bill that he touted as a bipartisan measure to protect the ecosystem and help the economy in America's fastest-growing state.

But as the LA Times reported:

"What Reid did not explain was that the bill 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."

Turns out that the Reid family gravy train relied on some of America's biggest corporate names.

The Howard Hughes Corp. alone paid $300,000 to attorney and son-in-law Steven Barringer to push a provision allowing the company to acquire 998 acres of federal land near booming Las Vegas.

According to the Times, other provisions of Reid's legislation were intended to benefit a real estate development headed by a senior partner in the Nevada law firm that employs all four of the Senate minority leader's sons.

Seldom have so many close relatives directly profited off their familial connection to a powerful politician.

But as the Times noted, there's more:

"The governments of three of Nevada's biggest cities — Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson — also gained from the legislation, which freed up tens of thousands of acres of federal land for development and annexation. All three were represented by Reid's family members who contacted his staff on their clients' behalf."

Reid's response to the obvious conflicts of interest?

"Lots of people have children, wives and stuff that work back here," he insisted. "It is not as if a lot of cash is changing hands."

Hundreds of thousands of dollars - not a lot of cash?

One wonders how journalists would have reacted had Tom DeLay said that.

[John Lenin]

[Tribune7]

ping

[TFine80]

The Dems want to play the ethics game?

Are they sure about that?

[John Lenin]

Could be the last straw for the MSM. Ignore this story at your own risk.

[Jeff Chandler]

Could be the last straw for the MSM. Ignore this story at your own risk.


YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

[American in Singapore]

Rush is on fire; he is as mad as hell and totally in top form. While Ronald the Great was alive, I always used to say that Rush was the 2nd Greatest Living American, and now he is #1. I lapse into taking him for granted at times but now I want to say "Thanks, Rush!"

[John Lenin]

Reid lines his pockets while Rome burns.

[Dustbunny]

ping

[Lib-Lickers 2]

"The governments of three of Nevada's biggest cities — Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson — also gained from the legislation, which freed up tens of thousands of acres of federal land for development and annexation. All three were represented by Reid's family members who contacted his staff on their clients' behalf."

---

and he opposed drilling in ANWAR

[Soul Seeker]

Their thought was that we'd just roll over and drop Delay as was done to Lott.

Well, Lott burned many bridges with conservatives. Delay has built those bridges. If there is any doubt who controls the Republican Party there shouldn't be. When conservatives choose to exercise our power, they listen.

Not that I approve of how they got rid of Lott mind. But the support structure that would have saved him was not there because he had aliented many in the base. It also helps that the House has more spine than the Senate.

Delay isn't cowering, and we're not abandoning him. So these ethical questions are going to be tossed right back in their face until Reid starts crying on the Senate Floor again.

[TheLion]

I think I need to start listening to Rush again. He has been spot-on lately!

[NormsRevenge]

sounds like a job FoR RICO to me. ;-)

[John Lenin]

Pretty serious conflicts of interest.

[NRA2BFree]

The Dems want to play the ethics game?

Are they sure about that?

Yeah, I'd like to see someone do some digging into Ted Kennedy's finances, and John Kerry's finances. Talk about NO ethics, Kerry ripped off Americans when he was campaigning and if that's not illegal, it's sure an ethics issue. Diane Feinstein's hubby scored a $500 million dollar contract in Iraq. They're ALL dirty. I wish we could do a background check on all of their finances. Half of them probably need to go to jail.

[CyberAnt]

The dems always do this and then they can't figure out how everybody else figured it out.

The dems always blame the repubs for things that the dems are really doing - and this projection technique is so obvious. I believe that's why Rush went hunting for the truth and FOUND IT.

TOM DELAY ISN'T JUST "CLEAN" HE'S SQUEAKY CLEAN compared to Reid .. and then we have Pelosi who has been FINED by the FEC for funnelling illegal funds into her PAC.

Hmmmmm? I don't recall Tom ever being fined by the FEC ..??

We know the SLIMY media is not going to pick up on this - because it doesn't fit their agenda of getting DeLay. Maybe I'll start inundating FOX - it's worked before.

[CyberAnt]

Exactly!!

[John Lenin]

Don't forget Hillary's fund raising scandal. It's all a smoke screen to not have to cover the Big stories about the RAT leadership.

[CyberAnt]

He started out Monday just totally on fire and he has not let up all week - and I don't expect tomorrow to be any different.

[TheLion]

I don't drive as much any more. Rush used to sustain me during daily commutes!

[CyberAnt]

I know .. the SLIMY media will ignore this like they do everything else which affect the dems negatively. The Hillary story got quickly burried. I always thought Rush was exaggerating a little when he said the media used the NYT for their stories - but I can see now that when the NYT and WP don't report on stories - the remaining media follows suit.

But .. the dems seem to forget we're still here and we will have an impact. And .. they still think we're too stupid to figure this stuff out. I've been wondering if the DUers are discussing either the Reid or Pelosi stories ..?? Because if they're discussing it .. the dems will have a problem.

It might take us a little longer to get this out to the public - because we don't have a national newspaper to use to get the information out - but we have a national internet system and the information will get out.

I heard that Pelosi got asked about the FEC fine today by some reporter(?) and completely ignored the question as if it hadn't been asked.