Harry Reid Insists Dude Who Told Him Romney Didn’t Pay Taxes Isn’t Imaginary

New York Magazine ^ | 8/2/2012 | Margaret Hartmann

[nickcarraway]

Earlier this week, Harry Reid revealed why Mitt Romney is refusing to release more tax returns: He didn't pay taxes for an entire decade! It almost sounds too crazy to be true, and in fact, Reid is "not certain" that it isn't a total lie. However, he is sure of one thing: "I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination," Reid told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I have had a number of people tell me that." So we aren't talking about just one anonymous Bain investor, but several people who have seemingly only shared this story with Reid.

In an interview with Nevada reporters on Wednesday, Reid refused to name his sources or back down on his accusation. "I don't think the burden should be on me," he said. "The burden should be on him. He's the one I've alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn't he release his tax returns?"

A Romney spokesman said Reid's accusation is proof that the Obama campaign will do anything to distract from his economic record, "no matter how baseless, unfounded or demonstrably false their attacks are." Of course, the Romney campaign didn't actually offer new evidence to demonstrate that the claim is untrue.

According to Reid, it's the media's job to get to the bottom of this. "What if he has paid no taxes, like I am saying he hasn't," Reid said. "What if he has all these moneys as we already know ... in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Swiss banks. I mean, gee whiz, rather than ask me why I should do this, that is a story you should be writing." Looking into Romney's finances? Reporters must be kicking themselves for not thinking of that sooner.

[muawiyah]

But what if he paid too much in taxes? We've had any number of Mittbots tell us that would be foolish.

We don't know do we. Bet he doesn't know either.

[muawiyah]

But what if he paid too much in taxes? We've had any number of Mittbots tell us that would be foolish.

We don't know do we. Bet he doesn't know either.

[Milton Miteybad]

This thing looks to me like a set up. Hairy Reams is the idiot to fall for it. How easy would it be for a Romney operative to 'say' he is a Bain employee, (hey, Romney could use a real Bain employee here) and then drop the hint.

That is a possibility. However, I'm not sure publicly embarrassing Harry ("The Mafia Bag Man") Reid is necessarily worth the temporary adverse publicity Romney would incur over not releasing tax returns he's under no obligation to release.

Maybe Harry got a call, but he probably didn't, and is just making all this crap up.

Imagine you know somebody who makes upward of $20 MM per year, and pays zero federal taxes, even though he has to owe at least something. Year after year...he makes millions and stiffs the taxman every April 15...for a decade or more.

If you actually have actionable information regarding this situation, are you going to call Harry Reid about it? Or are you going to call the IRS, report the scofflaw, and become eligible to share in whatever the IRS manages to collect, which in Romney's case, could total possibly tens of millions of dollars?

It's the proverbial "no-brainer": If you have the goods on Romney for tax evasion, you're not calling a sniveling bag man like Harry Reid. He can't do anything for you. No...you're calling the IRS. Period. End of story.

Like I say...it's surely possible that somebody in the Romney camp has shot Bag Man Harry a line o' crap and he's swallowed it. But I think it's just as likely Harry making all this crap up, not realizing that no rational would-be informant in this situation would be calling him at all.

[IM2MAD]

For a real pile of dirt on dirty harry, check the lower portion at this link.

http://www.futurnamics.com/reid.php

[savedbygrace]

"I have had a number of people tell me that."

And that number is 1.

[pallis]

Gay guys like Harry are notorious liars. Some even claim they aren’t pedophiles.

[Erasmus]

It was the guy that Harry sees every morning reflected in his mirror as Harry shaves.

I wonder who's in that mirror. It's not Harry; he doesn't show up in mirrors.

[JaguarXKE]

Thats what they really need to do ... Have a guy in a rabbit suit start shadowing Reid at the public events he has booked during the current recess.

Brilliant !

[RipSawyer]

Back in the late sixties I had a young man who worked in the same office with me tell me (under the influence of a few brews) that he once jumped from a cliff on the edge of Lake Murray and flew! He insisted that he was gaining altitude until he hit a pine tree! I did not imagine this, I knew the young fool well and used to go fishing with him. Golleeeeee! Does Dingy Harry reckon that guy might have been telling the truth?

[hotshu]

If this lying, cheating a$$hole doesn’t understand that it is entirely possible for an individual to have an accumulated wealth of millions yet owe no federal income taxes due to the ability of taking legal claims against capital losses (I think limited to 10 or 15% per year until the loss is written off), then I totally understand why he has not been able to pass a budget through the Senate while the usurper has been in office.

Harry, release YOUR tax returns! Why do you hate NV Energy so much? How much has Rory made from the Chinese firm ENN Mojave LLC? I read somewhere that you may have gotten your start laundering Howard Hughes money to avoid taxes.