Harry Reid: Swamp Thing

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY ^ | 11-12-06 | Editorial

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Scandal: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wants to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of GOP rule. She should hunt the crocs in her own party, starting with Harry Reid.

If Sen. Reid ever retires from the Senate, where he is Democratic leader, we're sure he'll show up on one of those late-night or early-morning infomercials telling of his secrets to making money in real estate, or hawking his autobiography. Suggested title: "The Art of the Under the Table Deal."

It's not easy to make $1.1 million on land you haven't owned for three years. But Reid did, just as stealthily as how Hillary Clinton made $100,000 overnight in cattle futures. Considering how much land the feds own, perhaps if Reid were interior secretary he could retire the deficit.

As the Associated Press reported, Reid bought some undeveloped residential property on the outskirts of booming Las Vegas in 1998. Then he sold it for the same price in 2001 to a company owned by longtime friend and casino lawyer Jay Brown, whose name has surfaced in organized crime investigations.

Reid received no money but an equivalent stake in Brown's company. Reid did not disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown's company.

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I can't imagine this getting a pass. There have been crimes committed. There are a lot of possibilities for prosecution - this should not have any appearance of being merely political.