Reid Reveals Two More Land Deals

The Reid land scandal took another bizarre turn as the Minority Leader revealed that two additional “clerical errors” had caused him to file false ethics reports. Both of the “clerical errors” involved land transactions. One of which, Reid had failed to disclose ownership of for over 20 years.

Reid revealed the information as an afterthought to his announcement that he had agreed to repay his campaign for funds which were dispersed in violation of FEC regulations. Reid said the land transactions, as well as his failure to disclose, amounted to “two minor matters that were inadvertently left off my original disclosure forms.”

So far, Reid has characterized the FEC matter as a “clerical error” and both of the additional land transactions as “clerical errors” as well.

Reid has promised to “more fully disclose” details regarding the 2004 land scheme in which Reid received a payout of $1.1 million. The false ethics disclosures were not characterized as “clerical errors”, but instead were said to be a “GOP smear campaign”, even though AP reported last week that it learned of the land deal from a former Reid adviser who had concerns about how it was reported to Congress.

http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=162777

Reid used campaign money for bonuses
By Associated Press
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - Updated: 01:14 PM EST

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been using campaign donations instead of his personal money to pay Christmas bonuses for the support staff at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives in an upscale condominium. Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for personal use.

Questioned about the campaign expenditures by The Associated Press, Reid’s office said Monday his lawyers had approved them but he nonetheless was personally reimbursing his campaign for the $3,300 he had directed to the staff holiday fund at his residence.

Reid also announced he was amending his ethics reports to Congress to more fully account for a Las Vegas land deal, highlighted in an AP story last week, that allowed him to collect $1.1 million in 2004 for property he hadn’t personally owned in three years.

In that matter, the senator hadn’t disclosed to Congress that he first sold land to a friend’s limited liability company back in 2001 and took an ownership stake in the company. He collected the seven-figure payout when the company sold the land again in 2004 to others.

Reid portrayed the 2004 sale as a personal sale of land, not mentioning the company’s ownership or its role in the sale.

Reid said his amended ethics reports would list the 2001 sale and the company, called Patrick Lane LLC. He said the amended reports also would divulge two other smaller land deals he had failed to report to Congress.

"I directed my staff to file amended financial disclosure forms noting that in 2001, I transferred title to the land to a Limited Liability Corporation," Reid said in a statement issued by his office.

He said he believed the 2001 sale did not alter his ownership of the land but that he agreed to file the amended reports because "I believe in ensuring all facts come to light."

Reid labeled the AP story as the "latest attempt" by Republicans to affect the election. AP reported last week that it learned of the land deal from a former Reid adviser who had concerns about the way the deal was reported to Congress.

On the Ritz-Carlton holiday donations, Reid gave $600 in 2002, then $1,200 in 2004 and $1,500 in 2005 from his re-election campaign to an entity listed as the REC Employee Holiday Fund. His campaign listed the expenses as campaign "salary" for two of the years and as a "contribution" one year.

Reid’s office said the listing as salary was a "clerical error" and that the use of campaign money for the residential fund was approved by his lawyers. "I am reimbursing the campaign from my own pocket to prevent this issue from being used in the current campaign season to deflect attention from Republican failures," he said.

Residents and workers at the Ritz said the fund’s full name is the Residents Executive Committee Holiday Fund and that it collects money each year from the condominium residents to help provide Christmas gifts, bonuses and a party for the support staff. [continues]

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/101806/reidbrief.html

Reid faces FEC complaint
By Elana Schor

Conservative group Citizens United yesterday announced plans to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) use of campaign funds to contribute to the Christmas fund in his condominium.

Reid, taking heat for his failure to report on annual financial disclosures that he had transferred ownership of land in suburban Las Vegas to a limited liability corporation, said Monday he would reimburse his campaign committee for $3,300 in annual donations to the Ritz-Carlton Christmas fund to stave off any allegations of ethical impropriety.

Citizens United President David Bossie, not satisfied by this, said he would dispute the issue with the FEC.

"Senator Reid knows better than to use political contributions for personal services," Bossie said in a statement. He made waves in conservative circles for his recent call that Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) resign in the wake of the former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) congressional page scandal.

One Democratic leadership aide, firing back at GOP attempts to impugn Reid's record, pointed to a 1992 FEC complaint filed against Bossie by former President George H.W. Bush. That complaint stemmed from a Citizens United ad asking voters to call a phone number that played fake conversations between former President Clinton and alleged mistress Gennifer Flowers.

Reid's office referred requests for comment to Reid's Monday statement on his reimbursement

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=245977880759879

Reid It And Weep
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted 10/17/2006

Scandal: As the FBI raids Curt Weldon's daughter's house, Harry Reid's sons have benefited from their father's influence undisturbed. Meanwhile, Reid puts campaign funds to personal use and seeks a do-over on his ethics statements.

We never cease to be amazed at the double standard applied to the morals and ethics of Democrats and Republicans in Congress. We've already commented on how Republican Mark Foley was forced to resign for sending lewd e-mails to congressional pages, while Democrat Gerry Studds received mere censure and standing ovations after actually having sex with one, being allowed to serve until he decided to retire.

But the case of Senate Minority Leader Reid is a double standard on steroids. The latest episode is his request to file an "amended" ethics statement after the Associated Press revealed he made $1.1 million on a $400,000 investment on property he hadn't owned for three years; it was the subject of an earlier editorial on these pages.

In a statement issued after the AP story, Reid said: "I directed my staff to file amended financial disclosure forms noting that in 2001 I transferred title to the land to a Limited Liability Corporation."

Reid said he agreed to file the amended reports because, "I believe in ensuring all facts come to light." And if you believe that, the senator probably has some oceanfront property in Nevada to sell you.

We've also reported on Reid's questionable involvement and compensation in another Nevada real-estate deal involving lobbyist and developer Harvey Whittemore, who plied Reid with campaign contributions and employed Reid family members. In return, Reid greased the skids for Whittemore, who made millions in profits once inconvenient environmental obstacles were overcome.

In June 2003, the Los Angeles Times chronicled how Reid supported measures promoted by one of his sons and his son-in-law, both lobbyists for Nevada interests. Reid did not volunteer to colleagues or the press how the sometimes obscure provisions he authored and inserted into legislation benefited clients that paid his son and son-in-law $2 million in lobbying fees.

We presume Reid's amended disclosure forms would also include his using campaign donations instead of personal funds to pay Christmas bonuses for the support staff at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, where he maintains a luxury condominium.

When questioned by the AP about this and other ethical lapses, Reid responded that he would put these particular cookies back in the jar by personally reimbursing his campaign treasury.

Federal election law prohibits candidates from converting political donations to personal use. Reid explains that his listing of these bonuses to Ritz-Carlton employees as campaign "salary" was a mere "clerical error."

We mention the FBI raid on the home of Pennsylvania Rep. Curt Weldon's daughter because we wondered that if such tactics are warranted to see whether elected officials are using their influence to benefit themselves and their families, why the Reid family, despite documented evidence of this, has escaped the SWAT teams.

Last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee mailed fliers to voters in Weldon's district accusing Karen Weldon of getting help from her father on lobbying projects. Federal investigators are looking into charges that Weldon used his influence to secure contracts for her company.

OK, fine. But why the double standard and the hypocrisy? Is anybody investigating Harry Reid?
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