Reid All About It: Reid Gets "Jacked Up" (New Info Further Highlighting Reid's Ties to Abramoff)

Republican National Committee ^ | February 10, 2006

[RWR8189]

New Info Surfaces Further Highlighting
Sen. Harry Reid's (D-NV) Hypocrisy; Ties To Jack Abramoff _____________________________________________________

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Claims The Abramoff Scandal Is Only "A Republican Scandal":

Reid: "[D]on't Lump Me In With Jack Abramoff. This Is A Republican Scandal. Don't Try To Give Any Of It To Me." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 12/18/05)

• Click Here To Watch Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Say Abramoff Is A Republican Scandal.

Reid: "[T]his Is A Republican Scandal. When The Justice Department Completes Its Investigation, This Will All Be Republicans Involved Criminally." (Judith Kohler, "Salazar, Reid Take Democratic Message To 'Red States,'" The Associated Press, 1/10/06)

In January 2006, Sen. Reid Went On "A Three-Day 'Red State' Tour To Lure Voters Back To The Democratic Party, And Said He Is Disillusioned At What He Called A 'Culture Of Corruption' Among Republicans In The Nation's Capital." ("In Idaho Appearance, Reid Bemoans Lack Of Morals In D.C.," The Associated Press, 1/13/06)

New Reports Show Sen. Reid Received Contributions Recommended By Jack Abramoff:

"Abramoff Sent A List To The Tribe Entitled 'Coushatta Requests' Recommending Donations To Campaigns Or Groups For 50 Lawmakers He Claimed Were Helpful To The Tribe. Alongside Reid's Name, Abramoff Wrote, '5,000 (Searchlight Leadership Fund) Senate Majority Whip.'" (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, "Democratic Leader's Staff Routinely Met With Abramoff Team, Helped Clients," The Associated Press, 2/9/06)

• "According To Documents And Tribal Officials Familiar With The Abramoff Team's Methods, The Lobbyists Devised Lengthy Lists Of Lawmakers To Whom The Tribes Should Donate And Then Delivered The Lists To The Tribes. The Tribes, In Turn, Wrote Checks To The Recommended Campaign Committees And In The Amounts The Lobbyists Prescribed." (Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Derek Willis, "Democrats Also Got Tribal Donations," The Washington Post, 6/3/05)

"Among The Donations To Reid Was A $5,000 Contribution From The Coushatta Tribe Of Louisiana, An Abramoff Client That Was Trying To Block The Jena Band Of Choctaw Indians From Opening A Nearby Casino. The Donation Was Made To Reid's Political Action Committee, The Searchlight Leadership Fund ..." (Doug Abrahms, "Reid To Keep Donations From Abramoff Clients," Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/5/06)

Reports Indicate Sen. Reid Had "Routine Contacts" With "Team Abramoff" Lobbyists, Acted On Their Behalf:

"Reid Also Intervened On Government Matters At Least Five Times In Ways Helpful To Abramoff's Tribal Clients, Once Opposing Legislation On The Senate Floor And Four Times Sending Letters Pressing The Bush Administration On Tribal Issues. Reid Collected Donations Around The Time Of Each Action." (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, "Democratic Leader's Staff Routinely Met With Abramoff Team, Helped Clients," The Associated Press, 2/9/06)

• "Ethics Rules Require Senators To Avoid Even The Appearance Of A Conflict Of Interest In Collecting Contributions Around The Times They Take Official Acts Benefiting Donors." (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, "Democratic Leader's Staff Routinely Met With Abramoff Team, Helped Clients," The Associated Press, 2/9/06)

"Reid's Office Acknowledged ... Having 'Routine Contacts' With Abramoff's Lobbying Partners And Intervening On Some Government Matters Such As Blocking Some Tribal Casinos In Ways Abramoff's Clients Might Have Deemed Helpful." (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, "Democratic Leader's Staff Routinely Met With Abramoff Team, Helped Clients," The Associated Press, 2/9/06)

• "But Abramoff's Records Show His Lobbying Partners Billed For Nearly Two Dozen Phone Contacts Or Meetings With Reid's Office In 2001 Alone." (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, "Democratic Leader's Staff Routinely Met With Abramoff Team, Helped Clients," The Associated Press, 2/9/06)

"Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Wrote At Least Four Letters Helpful To Indian Tribes Represented By Jack Abramoff ..." (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, "Democratic Leader's Staff Routinely Met With Abramoff Team, Helped Clients," The Associated Press, 2/9/06)

Sen. Reid Took Thousands Of Dollars From Abramoff Affiliates, Refuses To Return The Contributions:

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Has Received $68,941 From Abramoff Affiliated Lobbying Firms And Indian Tribes. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 1/4/06)

• Reid Was The Third Highest Individual Democrat Recipient Of Abramoff Affiliated Money. ("How Abramoff Spread The Wealth," The Washington Post, 12/12/05)

"U.S. Sen. Harry Reid Has No Plans To Return ... Political Donations From Clients Of Jack Abramoff, The Super Lobbyist Who Has Pleaded Guilty To Fraud And Conspiracy Charges." (Doug Abrahms, "Reid To Keep Donations From Abramoff Clients," Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/5/06)

• Tessa Hafen, Reid Spokesman: "He's Done Nothing Wrong And Sees No Reason Why He Would Need To Donate It." (Doug Abrahms, "Reid To Keep Donations From Abramoff Clients," Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/5/06)

Former Reid Staffer, Eddie Ayoob, Was "Team Abramoff's" Top Democrat At Greenberg Traurig:

"One Of The Marianas Contacts, Listed For May 30, 2001, Was With Edward Ayoob, Reid's Legislative Counsel. Within A Year, Ayoob Had Left Reid's Office To Work For Abramoff's Firm, Registering Specifically To Lobby For The Islands As Well As Several Tribes. Manley Confirmed Ayoob Had Subsequent Lobbying Contacts With Reid's Office." (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, "Democratic Leader's Staff Routinely Met With Abramoff Team, Helped Clients," The Associated Press, 2/9/06)

• "[A]bramoff Assembled A Group Of Lobbyists That Some In The Media Have Dubbed 'Team Abramoff.' ... [T]hey Included [Eddie] Ayoob, A Former Aide To Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Who Is Now The Senate Minority Leader." (Paul Barton, "Lincoln Aide, Others Say $2,000 Isn't Abramoff-Linked," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/6/06)

Even DNC Chair Howard Dean Said If Any Dems Wrote Letters On Behalf Of Indian Tribes Jack Abramoff Represented "That's A Big Problem":

Fox News' Chris Wallace: "[I]f 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?" (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/06)

• DNC Chair Howard Dean: "That's A Big Problem, And Those Democrats Are In Trouble, And They Should Be In Trouble." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 1/29/06)

• Click Here To Watch DNC Chair Howard Dean Say What Sen. Reid Did Is "A Big Problem."

[From One - Many]

Nevada, please remove this PoC from the Senate. P L E A S E

[right-wingin_It]

[jazusamo]

Howie Dean probably meant by "big trouble" Dirty Harry was going to have to forego his next contribution from the tribe. :)

[lugsoul]

Did the client get pissed that ol' Harry didn't vote the right way after they gave him money?

[Buffettfan]

Dingy Harry.....Hang 'em high!

[gov_bean_ counter]

Thank goodness they dropped the caps. Now if they would save the bold print for category headers...

[bpjam]

Notice anybody else in this picture smiling as he announces that he "KILLED THE PATRIOT ACT!!"? Maybe he will 'suddenly' discover that one of his top aides left his office to go work for Jack Ambramoff to lobby Reids office and rip off Indian tribes.

[Beagle8U]

Someone needs to post that "really sad" pic of Reid, AND the one of him in the cannibal cooking kettle...lol

[yoe]

(Senate Ethics Committee)

Members:

Republicans

George V. Voinovich, Ohio,
Chairman Pat Roberts, Kansas
Craig Thomas, Wyoming

Democrats

Tim Johnson, South Dakota,
Vice Chairman Mark Pryor, Arkansas
Ken Salazar, Colorado

The Select Committee on Ethics website was designed to provide access to Committee Members, the Senate Ethics Manual, the downloadable Public Financial Disclosure Form, additional downloadable forms, and links to related websites. The Select Committee on Ethics can be contacted at 220 Hart Building, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510. Telephone:
(202) 224 - 2981.
Fax: (202) 224 - 7416.

Contact them about Harry Reid, "...who has led efforts to portray the Jack Abramoff case as a Republican scandal, wrote at least four letters helpful to Indian tribes represented by Abramoff, and the senator's staff regularly had contact with the Abramoff team about legislation affecting other clients."

[yoe]

Nevada, please remove this PoC from the Senate. P L E A S E

Yes! But please don't replace him with Jack Carter!

[jw777]

Couldn't happen to a bigger pig. Except Pelosi, Boxer, Schumer, Kennedy, Dodd, Feinstein, Rockefeller, Biden, Kerry, Dean, Sharpton................

[right-wingin_It]

Someone needs to post that "really sad" pic of Reid

Do you mean this one, where he's sporting an indian feather? :)

[Beagle8U]

Lol...That looks about like the real pic of him.