Reid cites FBI file on judicial pick [Big no-no]

WASH TIMES ^ | 5-13-05 | Charles Hurt

[OXENinFLA]

Minority Leader Harry Reid strayed from his prepared remarks on the Senate floor yesterday and promised to continue opposing one of President Bush's judicial nominees based on "a problem" he said is in the nominee's "confidential report from the FBI."

Those highly confidential reports are filed on all judicial nominees, and severe sanctions apply to anyone who discloses their contents. Less clear is whether a senator could face sanctions for characterizing the content of such files.

"Henry Saad would have been filibustered anyway," Mr. Reid said on the floor yesterday, about the Michigan Appeals Court judge who is nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

"All you need to do is have a member go upstairs and look at his confidential report from the FBI, and I think we would all agree that there is a problem there," Mr. Reid continued.

Republican staff members and supporters of Mr. Bush's nominees were outraged.

"Can you think of a better way to trash someone's reputation?" Sean Rushton of the conservative Committee for Justice asked after seeing a transcript of the remarks. "Say that there is bad stuff from an FBI investigation in a file somewhere and leave that hanging. This is character assassination of the lowest order and completely improper."

[Peach]

I'm so sorry to hear that Laura's wedding is off.

[moose2004]

Ditto.

[texasbluebell]

I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

The really good thing is that because of the impending wedding, Laura decided to go the the doctor for the exam that she had been putting off for 3-1/2 years.

Only because of that was the cancer found.

[Peach]

I hadn't realized that was why she went to the doctor; thank goodness she did. She'll meet another guy and he'll stand by her through the good times and the bad.

[Cboldt]

Here's an interesting tidbit regarding Saad.

Saad has been in limbo for 13 years. He was first nominated to the 6th Circuit by the first President Bush.

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_3760366,00.html

[nosofar]

Reid has got to be one of the stupidest politicians we've ever had. It's one stupid statement after another, each one more stupid than the last.

Yes. Isn't is great? :)

[Ann Archy]

None of the Senators have access to the file except those on the Senate Judiciary Committee or Saad's homestate senators (both Democrats) -- which excludes Harry Reid! Reid should never have been given access to that information, and if he has accessed the file, he would be guilty of a breach of Senate rules. Furthermore, by publicly characterizing the data in Saad's file, he has breached its confidentiality. THIS PARAGRAPH needs to be REPEATED until REID is brought to JUSTICE!!

None of the Senators have access to the file except those on the Senate Judiciary Committee or Saad's homestate senators (both Democrats) -- which excludes Harry Reid! Reid should never have been given access to that information, and if he has accessed the file, he would be guilty of a breach of Senate rules. Furthermore, by publicly characterizing the data in Saad's file, he has breached its confidentiality.

IF REID accessed that file he is GUILTY of more than just rules....it seems ILLEGAL!

[Ann Archy]

Harry Reid is indeed STUPID....are his parents cousins?

[Ann Archy]

How did a "rock'em sock'em" state like NEVADA elect a wussy white bread milquetoast weiney like dead eyes reid? He looks CREEPY.

[Brilliant]

Sister/Brother.

[Warrior Nurse]

It should be like the TV commercial "What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. So the State of Nevada should keep Dingy Harry away from the rest of us. Yucca Mountian sounds like a good place for him. What do you think?

[Al Simmons]

Now, I don't know much about the Latter Day Saints, but what I DO know leads me to make following speculation:

Harry Reid is a Mormon the same way that Ted Kennedy is a Catholic.

Let's not insult an entire group of our fellow-citizens based on the actions of a nominal member of that group who is acting in a way that completely contradicts his religious teaching.

[BigSkyFreeper]

After he insulted Bush the other day by calling him a "loser" in front of a bunch of school kids, he called Karl Rove to apologize. He said that he was apologizing to Rove because the "President is probably asleep."

Right, his apology holds no weight.

[BigSkyFreeper]

The person seemed to add that in a search for bigots: just in case there was anyone listening who doesn't despise Reid for political reasons, maybe they'd hate him for being Mormon.

He's about as Mormon as Chris Matthews is Catholic.

[Warhammer]

Reid should be sued for slander. Unfortunately I think that the Senate is immune from slander for stuff they say on the floor of the Senate, which is too bad. In this case, it could be easily proven that Reid had intentionally lied to impugn Saad's character with malice aforethought. This would have been a slam-dunk for Saad to win a slander lawsuit if it had not been said on the floor of the Senate.

Makes one wish that dueling was legal.

[oldbrowser]

I think they've got to censure him.

I thought Dashle was bad but Reid has taken things to a new low. This snake has got more venom than Dashle and none of the finesse.

[anniegetyourgun]

I'm really beginning to detest this twit....perhaps even more than Daschle. And I never thought that would be possible.

[Tax-chick]

I didn't say there was anything wrong with being Mormon ... just that it seemed to me that the person quoted intended it as a negative.