Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Sen. Jim DeMint Blasts Sen. Harry Reid's Hypocrisy
NewsMax - Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) chastized Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Wednesday for Reid’s hypocritical sermonizing on congressional ethics.
"The idea that Senator Reid would attack other senators for taking Abramoff-related donations is laughable,” DeMint said, noting Reid is "among the top recipients of these funds in Congress, and still refuses to return or donate the money.”
"And now,” DeMint continued, "he is using his taxpayer funded office to put out what amounts to campaign attacks. Senator Reid should clean up his own act before lecturing the rest of Congress on ethics.”
On January 11, the Washington Times reported federal investigators were focusing on Reid and four other lawmakers in their probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The other lawmakers alleged to be "first tier” targets are Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.); Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.); Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.); and Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio).
Reid has consistently denied ties to the Abramoff scandal. In December, he told Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace, "Don’t try to say I received money from Abramoff. I’ve never met the man, don’t know anything.”
But a November Associated Press article revealed that Reid had accepted money from the Coushatta Indian tribe, an Abramoff client, just one day after interceding with Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton over a casino dispute with another tribe.
Reid reportedly sent a letter to Norton on March 5, 2002. "The next day,” according to the AP, "the Coushattas issued a $5,000 check to Reid tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund. A second tribe represented by Abramoff sent an additional $5,000 to Reid’s group. Reid ultimately received more than $66,000 in Abramoff-related donations between 2001 and 2004.”
DeMint’s criticism did not stop with Reid. He also questioned what he alleged to be a non-existent Democratic agenda.
"Democrats look like a bunch of rodeo clowns creating distractions,” he said. "They are hoping that Americans don’t notice their lack of ideas or solutions for today’s challenges. It’s been months since they promised to unveil a real legislative agenda, yet we still have heard nothing.”
DeMint was referring to reports since October that Democrats were preparing to unveil a positive agenda for 2006. As DeMint’s criticism suggests, they have yet to release their vision.
NewsMax - Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) chastized Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Wednesday for Reid’s hypocritical sermonizing on congressional ethics.
"The idea that Senator Reid would attack other senators for taking Abramoff-related donations is laughable,” DeMint said, noting Reid is "among the top recipients of these funds in Congress, and still refuses to return or donate the money.”
"And now,” DeMint continued, "he is using his taxpayer funded office to put out what amounts to campaign attacks. Senator Reid should clean up his own act before lecturing the rest of Congress on ethics.”
On January 11, the Washington Times reported federal investigators were focusing on Reid and four other lawmakers in their probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The other lawmakers alleged to be "first tier” targets are Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.); Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.); Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.); and Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio).
Reid has consistently denied ties to the Abramoff scandal. In December, he told Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace, "Don’t try to say I received money from Abramoff. I’ve never met the man, don’t know anything.”
But a November Associated Press article revealed that Reid had accepted money from the Coushatta Indian tribe, an Abramoff client, just one day after interceding with Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton over a casino dispute with another tribe.
Reid reportedly sent a letter to Norton on March 5, 2002. "The next day,” according to the AP, "the Coushattas issued a $5,000 check to Reid tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund. A second tribe represented by Abramoff sent an additional $5,000 to Reid’s group. Reid ultimately received more than $66,000 in Abramoff-related donations between 2001 and 2004.”
DeMint’s criticism did not stop with Reid. He also questioned what he alleged to be a non-existent Democratic agenda.
"Democrats look like a bunch of rodeo clowns creating distractions,” he said. "They are hoping that Americans don’t notice their lack of ideas or solutions for today’s challenges. It’s been months since they promised to unveil a real legislative agenda, yet we still have heard nothing.”
DeMint was referring to reports since October that Democrats were preparing to unveil a positive agenda for 2006. As DeMint’s criticism suggests, they have yet to release their vision.
