Reid Does About-Face on Lobbyist Cash

Wednesday, 22 April 2009 19:00

Senator Defends Lobbyists in Washington, Bars Them From Fundraiser In Nevada

WASHINGTON ? In a remarkable about-face, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid?s (D-NV) office said today that all lobbyist and political action committee donations will be barred for one day when President Obama headlines a May 26th fundraiser in Nevada benefiting the Senator as he prepares for a tough re-election fight next year.?

But in a recent interview with ABC News, as he prepared to fete Washington lobbyists at a lavish inaugural reception, Reid not only defended his relationships with lobbyists but said he expected President Obama would ultimately interact with them as well.? As Reid stated, ?People should understand that lobbyists, per se, are someone?s father, mother, son, daughter.?

HARRY REID?S REMARKS TO ABC NEWS

?Once again, Harry Reid?s rhetoric in Nevada is completely at odds with his actions in Washington,? said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh.? ?Why are lobbyists barred from Reid?s Nevada fundraiser next month if he believes there?s nothing wrong with taking their money the other 364 days a year? Will Harry Reid?s own lobbyist family members be barred from his fundraiser? And how does the Senator square his announcement today with his assertion in January that President Obama would interact with lobbyists as well, because ?that?s part of Washington???

?Voters in Nevada will see this hollow shift in rhetoric for what it really is ? a growing pattern of hypocrisy and double-talk from Harry Reid, who says one thing in Nevada and does another in Washington,? Walsh concluded.?

Not only have lobbyists contributed more than half a million dollars to Reid?s political campaigns over the years, but he has come under intense criticism in recent years for lobbying activities by close relatives.? As the Los Angeles Times reported in 2003, ?so pervasive are the ties among Reid, members of his family and Nevada?s leading industries and institutions that it?s difficult to find a significant field in which such a relationship does not exist.?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Lobbyists Are Among Reid?s Top Five All-Time Contributing Industries, Donating $626,279 To His Campaigns Thus Far. (Center for Responsive Politics, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 4/22/09)

In 2002, Reid Introduced Legislation That Promised A Multitude Of Benefits To Developers And Corporations That Were Paying Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars In Lobbying Fees To Reid?s Sons? And Son-In-Law?s Firms. ?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.? (Chuck Neubauer and Richard Cooper, ?In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,? Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2003)

• ?So Pervasive Are The Ties Among Reid, Members Of His Family And Nevada?s Leading Industries And Institutions That It?s Difficult To Find A Significant Field In Which Such A Relationship Does Not Exist.? (Chuck Neubauer and Richard Cooper, ?In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,? The Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2003)

• Reid Initially Said He Saw No Problem With Lobbying By Relatives, But Later Banned His Sons From Lobbying His Office After The Los Angeles Times Reported On The Practice. Reid?s Ban Did Not Extend To His Sons? Colleagues. ?Reid said in an interview that he sees no problem with lobbying by relatives, because lobbyists? activities are ?very transparent.? That is, the law requires them to publicly report their clients and fees. ?In September 2001, Reid sent a letter to his staff telling them that he had sought guidance from the Senate Ethics Committee and had been advised that there was no restriction on lobbying by a relative of a senator. He told his staff to treat his family members who were lobbyists no better or worse than any other lobbyist. ?Soon after The Times interviewed him about his children?s activities last fall, the senator decided to ban relatives from lobbying his office entirely. The ban applies to members of Reid?s family but not to colleagues at the firms where they work.? (Chuck Neubauer and Richard Cooper, ?In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,? Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2003)