The Culture Of Corruption

On Dec. 18, 2005, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid was blathering on "FOX News Sunday" that this Republican-led Congress is "the most corrupt in history."

Then he had this to say about the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was indicted on fraud charges.

"Don't lump me in with Jack Abramoff. This is a Republican scandal," Reid said.

He was pretty adamant that he never accepted any bribes from Abramoff.

"America can do better than what we've done," said Reid. "The most corrupt Congress in the history of the country. We have such significant problems with what's going on in this country."

Well, that's just perfect.

Problem is, Reid, like many other Democrats and Republicans, received campaign contributions from Abramoff cronies, ah, I mean clients.

Fact is, Reid wrote a letter to to Interior Secretary Gale Norton within days of receiving money from tribes that Abramoff represented.

Associated Press looked into IRS records, campaign records and congressional correspondence.

Reid sent a letter to Norton on March 5, 2002 ... The next day, the Coushatta tribe, represented by Abramoff, issued a $5,000 check to Reid's tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund. A second Abramoff tribe sent another $5,000 to Reid's group. Reid ultimately received more than $66,000 in Abramoff-related donations between 2001 and 2004.

This is not to say that Republicans aren't corrupt, but if you were this Reid character, honestly, wouldn't you just keep your mouth shut? Would you go out and carry on about a culture of corruption in the other party?

The guy must be afflicted with chronic hypocrisy disorder.

Type the guy's name and the word "corruption" in Google for cryin' out loud. You get 880,000 hits.

The L.A. Times, June, 2003:

WASHINGTON - It was the kind of legislation that slips under the radar here.

The name alone made the eyes glaze over: "The Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002." In a welter of technical jargon, it dealt with boundary shifts, land trades and other arcane matters - all in Nevada.

As he introduced it, Nevada's senior U.S. senator, Democrat Harry Reid, assured colleagues that his bill was a bipartisan measure to protect the environment and help the economy in America's fastest-growing state.

What Reid did not explain was that the bill promised a cavalcade of benefits to real estate developers, corporations and local institutions that were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbying fees to his sons' and son-in-law's firms, federal lobbyist reports show ... .

The Las Vegas, Review Journal, September 2005:

The money that led to the indictment this week of two Las Vegas pastors and the wife of one of them came from federal grants arranged by Sen. Harry Reid in September 2001, a Reid spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Moving to distance Reid from a possible scandal, aide Tessa Hafen said the senator sought the money on behalf of a non-profit social services agency and not for the churches or persons who have been accused of mishandling the money.

KNRV-TV News, Las Vegas, May 2006:

A federal court jury has found two former Las Vegas-area politicians guilty of taking bribes from a former strip club owner.

Former Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera was found guilty late today of conspiracy, wire fraud and six of eight extortion charges.

Now, here's what Reid has to say about Herrera.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday said he does not regret his relationship with Dario Herrera, a former Clark County commissioner who faces a federal prison sentence after being convicted Friday of conspiracy, wire fraud and extortion.

"I'm not going to pound on Dario," Reid said. "He's had enough pounding."

Reid said he has kept in touch with Herrera "during all his travails." He described Herrera, 32, as having "great talent" and a "tremendous intellect."

"I think he's young enough when he finishes whatever punishment the court metes out to him that he can still contribute to society," Reid said.

Apparently, the bribes from strip club owners included Herrera having sexual encounters with strippers. His wife wept softly during the testimony.

Yeah, Sen. Reid, this Herrera's a real standup guy.

Now we find out from the Associated Press - and reported Wednesday and Thursday in your own Times-Union - that Reid took ahold of some very pricey Las Vegas boxing tickets at no charge.

The tickets were furnished between 2003 and 2005 by the Nevada Athletic Commission as Reid was pressing legislation to increase federal oversight of boxing.

Of course, Reid, ever the model of ethics, first defended the gifts. (The tickets, at ringside, could cost $1,500 each, give or take.)

Anyway, Reid said he was simply trying to learn how his legislation might affect an important home-state industry.

Reid said he would continue to accept free tickets, "I'm going whenever I have the opportunity," he was quoted as saying by AP.

He also told AP the free tickets did not influence his position, noting he voted for the legislation when it passed the Senate.

Yeah, true, but Reid also forced a change in the bill that let the federal commission regulate the TV networks when they promoted fights.

After the change, the House never approved the legislation. Do you suppose Reid knew the change would have that affect in the house?

Then comes the Thursday story from AP where Reid has completely changed his tune.

After several ethics experts concluded Reid was misstating ethics rules to his constituents, he decided maybe he should reconsider his hubris on the issue.

'In light of questions that have been raised about the practice, Senator Reid will not accept these kinds of credentials in the future in order to avoid even the faintest appearance of impropriety,' spokesman Jim Manley told the AP.

Good for Reid.

I guess we can all rest easy now. It appears the culture of corruption has one fewer member.