RNC Calls Harry Reid Hypocritical, Habitual Liar
Wednesday, 23 Apr 2014 10:15 AM
The memo, written by RNC press secretary Kirsten Kukowski and titled "Nothing’s Too Unethical for Harry Reid," starts by saying that that the Nevada Democrat is having "a bad month," according to The Weekly Standard.
Kukowski continued, "He was caught funneling campaign money to his relatives. His Senate Majority PAC was caught lying to voters. And he was caught hypocritically accepting money tied to people he calls 'un-American.'
"As he desperately clings to power, is there anything Harry Reid won’t do to promote his own self-interests?"
The Standard’s conservative commentator Daniel Halper said that Reid’s untruths have become such much a major part of his culture that his mantra is, "If at first you don’t succeed, lie, lie again."
The first reference in the Kukowski memo refers to a Federal Election Commission report that Reid’s campaign paid $31,268 to his granddaughter Ryan Elisabeth Reid’s jewelry company for the purchase of holiday gift items.
Although the FEC allows "nominal" gifts of fair market value, with Ryan’s line costing $70 on average, it would be the equivalent of buying 450 "nominal gifts" over two years.
"Either he clearly violated that standard … or he’s just using campaign dollars to prop up his granddaughter’s business," Halper wrote.
He also noted that that Reid has a long history of nepotism, citing a report that the senator had lobbied the mayor of Henderson, Nev., and a councilwoman to help his son Josh Reid become the city's attorney.
His blog also pointed out that Reid has faced allegations that he used his connections in 2012 to help his son Rory's legal firm receive legal fees from a Chinese company building a solar plant in Nevada.
Halper said that when it comes to Reid’s Senate Majority PAC telling the truth in attack ads against the GOP, it’s a case of, "Liar, liar, PAC on fire."
The Washington Post’s fact checker Glenn Kessler gave four Pinocchios to the political action committee for ads running in Louisiana and Arkansas targeting GOP candidates.
"Television stations in Louisiana should be ashamed of falling for such an obvious gambit," Kessler said in his regular column, "The Fact Checker: The Truth Behind the Rhetoric."
About the Arkansas ads, Kessler added, "None of the allegations made about [Republican Rep. Tom] Cotton or his policies are factually correct."
"These ads reveal two things," Halper wrote. "First, Harry Reid and his allies have no respect for the truth and are perfectly content to lie to Americans. Second, Harry Reid is so desperate to cling to power that he’ll resort to whatever means necessary to keep his perch as majority leader."
Reid caused a firestorm earlier this year when he slammed the conservative Koch brothers, Charles and David, saying they were "un-American," accusing them of attempting "to buy" the elections for the GOP.
But the Standard reported that records show Reid’s campaign had received a $500 donation in 2003 from former Koch Industries lobbyist Robert Hall, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has also accepted tens of thousands of dollars from their Koch Industries PAC.
"Once again, the truth doesn’t matter to Harry Reid. For a senator who tells outright lies and funnels campaign money to his family, hypocrisy probably seems like no big deal," Halper said.
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