Posted on 01/29/2006 2:28:02 PM PST by george76
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) failed today to address rumors that Nevada Senator Harry Reid will step down next month as Senate Minority Leader.
Reid has been stung by revelations that his political action committee (PAC) accepted more than $60,000 in contributions from Indian tribes linked to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Appearing on CNN's Late Edition, Biden avoided discussing either the Reid situation or any upcoming changes in Senate Democratic leadership.
Reid is no stranger to scandal, having been the subject of a 1979 Justice Department probe into allegations that Reid then Nevada Gaming Commission chairman had received bribes through mob lawyer Oscar Goodman and Tropicana attorney Jay H. Brown.
The probe officially cleared Reid, but he subsequently received numerous contributions from gambling industry figures, including Brown.
Some Democrats are worried that Reid's continued presence in the Senate leadership undermines Democratic hopes of scoring significant gains this November.
"Reid is going around the country talking about a 'Republican scandal' about Republicans accepting one- and two-thousand dollar contributions from Jack Abramoff, when his own PAC took in $60,000," ...
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, appearing on Fox News Sunday, made no announcements concerning Reid's status, but did comment on the growing controversy.
Moderator Chris Wallace asked Dean, "if we find that there were some Democrats who wrote letters on behalf of some of the Indian tribes that Abramoff represented, then what do you say, sir?"
Without mentioning Reid by name, Dean replied, "That's a big problem. And those Democrats are in trouble. And they should be in trouble."
(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...
Better the disputed Culture of Corruption than the undisputed Culture of Death!!! Republicans aren't underwritten by special interest groups singularly determined to kill babies!
Schumer as leader of the Senate Dems would be a gift from God. Not even Ted Kennedy could make them look worse.
LOL, Wishful thinking. He'd probably just step down from his leadership position. Between him and Dean, the pair have been a train wreck for the dems. He is on his way out. The only question will be if they have an excuse, or if they just suck it up and kick him out.
Reid could survive being found with a dead prostitute.
a live boy... maybe not.
He got a major contribution and immediately turned around and wrote an official letter asking a government agency to do what the donor wanted... that's a quid pro quo - a bribe - if there ever was one.
I agree with you. The moment Reid steps aside, this will be proof that this was not strictly a Republican scandal. Most of America already sees this as a problem in both parties. Fortunately, for conservatives, the Dems are still trying to figure this out. The longer Reid stays on, calling this a "republican scandal", the more hypocritical, the dems look. The moment Reid steps down,(if he steps down) America has proof that this is not a Republican only scandal. Reid and all of the Dems are in a no win situation, and they have not recognized it yet.
The Mormon church should xcommunicate him.
Who knows what pies Reid has his hand in?
I wish I had seen that.
You know, I've seen Wallace take it to quite a few of those guys. He's certainly not his daddy, is he?
Reid IS a dead prostitute!!
Oh my goodness. Poor Harry.
Is that the smell from the democRAT culture of corruption I detect???
BWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHA
I cannot for the life of me understand how they distinguish between Abramoff's money and his clients money ..If you're a lobbyist whose money are ya spending?
that depends on how you define "one"....LOLOL
Not only is Reid a dope, but, just look at the guy and you know he's as crooked as hell.
In other words, would you buy a used car from him???
Have to admit I didn't see Wallace interview Dean with my own eyes but heard and read about it. I did watch Schaeffer interview the President and enjoyed it. But Russert was the one that almost made me break my beloved plasma when interviewing Frist.
I've never been so angry watching that freaky pumpkin head dish out accusation after accusation without hardly taking a breath or giving Frist much of a chance to answer his attacks.
I thought Russert was disrespectful and disgraceful and I vowed it was the last time I'll put myself through that torture. The bias he shows when interviewing dems vs republicans is astounding.
Evidently Abramoff contributed generously to pols, but also filtered money to pols through other means. He "hid" some contributions by making sure an indian tribe (for instance) lobbied and donated his money to certain pols.
At least that's my understanding...
Reid will be replaced (as minority leader) by Osama Obama, and Kennedy, within three months, will pronounce the name correctly - er, as just spelled.
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