The Reids

Meant to get to this earlier, but the day melted away. Anyway, Ann Gerhart over at The Washington Post wrote a piece about Senator Harry Reid and his son Rory Reid and the effect they will have on each other in the 2010 elections. Harry is running for a sixth term to the Senate and Rory is gunning for the state’s Governor’s Mansion.

The article is an interesting enough read, and if you have the time when you are done here, you should go check it out. But the article is fluffy. It doesn’t really get to what the father-son tandem are all about in Nevada politics and why they may sink or swim together. The Reids are about enriching themselves and a few year ago had their own little cottage industry where Harry’s sons would lobby daddy, daddy would deliver benefits to his sons’ clients and Harry would have his campaign coffers stuffed with cash.

When It Comes To Family Members Who Lobby The Government, Senator Reid “Is In A Class By Himself.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

“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 T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Reid’s Four Sons All Used To Work For Nevada’s Largest Lobbying Law Firm – Either In Nevada Or Washington – While His Son-In-Law Was A Federal Lobbyist.  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

“Reid’s Sons — Rory, 40, Leif, 35, Josh, 31, And Key, 28 — Work For Nevada’s Largest Law Firm, Lionel Sawyer & Collins.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• “Rory Reid is a partner in the firm and was a Nevada lobbyist before his election to the Clark County Board of Commissioners in November.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• “Leif Reid is a litigator who has represented mining and resort industry associations in Nevada.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• “Key Reid was hired to open the firm’s Washington office in 2002 and help lead its federal lobbying effort. . .”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Reid’s Son-In-Law Steven Barringer A Federal Lobbyist For McClure Gerard & Neuenschwander. “Barringer . . . is a lawyer, federal lobbyist and partner in the small Washington-based lobbying firm of McClure, Gerard and Neuenschwander.”   (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Reid’s Family Members Were Omnipresent Lobbyists For Nearly Every Major Industry In Nevada.  “[B]etween them, Barringer and Key Reid have represented nearly every major industry in Nevada, from mining and real estate development to tourism and gambling to the city of Las Vegas. All of those clients rely on the senator’s goodwill on Capitol Hill.” (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• In The Four Years Leading Up To The Times’ Story, Lobby Firms Connected To Reid Collected More Than $2 Million. “In the last four years alone, their firms have collected more than $2 million in lobbying fees from special interests that were represented by the kids and helped by the senator in Washington.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Reid’s Sons And Son-In-Law Used To Lobby Reid’s Own Staff On Pending Legislation Affecting Nevada.  “In an internal memo, [Reid’s chief of staff Susan] McCue said Reid’s family members had lobbied his staff by ‘supplying research, technical support and strategic guidance.’”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• “[Susan McCue] described them as ‘effective advocates for their clients.’” (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Reid Said He Saw No Problem With His Sons Lobbying His Staffers Until The Los Angeles Times Started Asking Questions.  “Reid said in an interview that he sees no problem with lobbying by relatives, because lobbyists’ activities are ‘very transparent.’”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Reid “told his staff to treat his family members who were lobbyists no better or worse than any other lobbyist.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

“Soon After The Times Interviewed Him About His Children’s Activities Last Fall, The Senator Decided To Ban Relatives From Lobbying His Office Entirely.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• Reid’s Family Lobbyists Were Not Completely Banned From Reid’s Office. “Contacted Monday, Key Reid and Barringer said they visit the senator's office on personal matters but understand they are not allowed to talk business.” (Tony Batt, “Lobbying Congress: Senator Downplays Family Ties,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 24, 2003)

CLARK COUNTY CONSERVATION OF PUBLIC LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES ACT OF 2002:

In 2002, Reid Introduced Legislation That Provided “A Cavalcade Of Benefits” To Corporations And Industries That Were Paying His Sons’ For Lobbying.  “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 T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• Reid’s “[Clark County] bill also benefited at least five clients of Reid family lobbyists.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• “And it contained a provision potentially worth millions of dollars to a senior partner of the law firm that employs Reid’s four sons, a provision that was dropped at the last minute after questions were raised in Washington.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

“The Bill Freed About 18,000 Acres Near The Cities Of Las Vegas And North Las Vegas For Development And Annexation, By Releasing Two Parcels Of Land From ‘Wilderness Study’ Protection.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• “Key Reid and former Sen. Bryan lobbied for those provisions, lobbyist reports show.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

The Firm Employing Reid’s Son-In-Law Received More Than $200,000 For His Services On The Clark County Bill.  “Lobbying reports show Barringer’s firm received $220,000 to lobby on the bill for the city of Henderson. While the city did not get everything it wanted, the bill freed up 4,000 federal acres on its outskirts for development and annexation. Sen. Reid also supported another transfer of federal land to a local irrigation project that paid Barringer’s firm to lobby on the provision. In each case, Barringer is listed by name as working for the government entities.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Oh, And By The Way…

Reid Didn’t Ban Family Members From Lobbying His Office Until After The Land Bill. “Reid spokesman Tessa Hafen said Monday it was coincidence that the policy was issued after completion of the land bill.” (Tony Batt, “Lobbying Congress: Senator Downplays Family Ties,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6/24/03)

HOWARD HUGHES CORP:

The Howard Hughes Corp, Another Corporation Retaining Reid’s Son-In-Law, “May Have Been The Single Biggest Beneficiary” Of The Clark County Legislation Through A Federal Land Swap Provision.  “Another Barringer client may have been the single biggest beneficiary of the legislation: the Howard Hughes Corp., a division of the giant Rouse real estate company and the biggest private landowner in Clark County. Hughes wanted to expand its Summerlin planned community onto nearby federal land. In exchange for the federal land, Hughes proposed to swap 1,082 acres of rugged terrain scattered along the fringes of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Initially, Congress balked at the exchange. Several years earlier, it had explicitly banned land swaps in southern Nevada because of evidence the government had lost millions of dollars through unequal trades. Now, federal land in the area must be sold at auction in most cases. The Clark County bill set aside the auction requirement.” (Tony Batt, “Lobbying Congress: Senator Downplays Family Ties,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6/24/03)

A Senior Hughes Executive Credited Both Reid And His Son-In-Law – Especially The Son-In-Law’s Lobbying Firm – For Passing The Legislation.  “The transfer was consummated in May. [Hughes Corp. VP Thomas] Warden said Sen. Reid had been ‘especially helpful.’ He also credited the expertise of Barringer and his firm, which was paid $300,000, according to lobbyist reports. ‘Why were we successful?’ Warden said. ‘It was because of the firm. They brought a lot to the deal.’”  (Tony Batt, “Lobbying Congress: Senator Downplays Family Ties,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6/24/03)

• In 2002, The Same Year That Reid And His Sons Pushed Through The Land Swap, Howard Hughes Corp. Donated Over $30,000 In Unregulated Soft Money To Harry Reid’s Leadership PAC.  (Internal Revenue Service Website, Accessed 10/14/09)

HARVEY WHITTEMORE:

Reid Sponsored Legislation That Assisted A Prominent Nevada Real Estate Developer – Who Happened To Be A Longtime Reid Friend And A Senior Partner In The Firm Where Reid’s Four Sons All Worked.  “The Hughes swap was at least done in plain sight. . . . Not so with Section 709 of the original bill, ‘Relocation of Right-of-Way. Corridor Located in Clark and Lincoln Counties in the State of Nevada.’  Only a close comparison of the provision with local property records for the Coyote Springs valley, which lies northeast of Las Vegas, revealed that the provision was intended to remove an obstacle to a proposed real estate development project headed by Harvey Whittemore, a longtime friend of Sen. Reid and a senior partner in the law firm that employs his four sons.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Whittemore Planned To Build The Largest Residential “Community In Nevada History.”  “As U.S. Route 93 slices through the high desert, it divides two visions of the future. On one side of the road lay 49,817 acres of federal land for which special wilderness protection had been proposed. On the other side lay 42,800 acres of privately owned land on which Whittemore’s development group, Coyote Springs Investment, hoped to build the largest planned community in Nevada history — with 50,000 homes, plus stores and 10 championship-golf courses. A cloud hung over the plan, however: A federally mandated right-of-way for electric power lines cuts a mile-wide swath the length of the land that Coyote Springs wants to develop.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

Reid’s Legislation Aimed To Relocate An Electric Power Corridor From The Potential Development Area To An Area Cordoned Off For “Wilderness Study.”  “Section 709 of Reid’s bill had offered a solution: Simply move the transmission corridor across U.S. 93 and plunk it down in the ‘wilderness study’ area. Power lines are not permitted on such land without congressional approval. In a flurry of technical language, Reid’s land bill changed the classification. The provision’s narrow purpose was ‘hidden by obfuscatory language in a large land bill,’ said Janine Blaeloch, director of the Western Land Exchange Project, an independent group that monitors federal-land policy.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

While Reid Failed To Get Taxpayers To Pay For Moving The Power Corridor, He Successfully Removed The “Wilderness Study” Designation From The Land Adjoining The Planned Development Plot.  “As originally drafted, Reid’s bill would have removed the power-line corridor from the land owned by Whittemore and his partners, at no cost to them. After Interior Department officials objected, Reid agreed that the developers should pay the government something. Reid then withdrew the right-of-way provision altogether, after questions were raised by The Times and the staff at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. However, the provision removing wilderness-study protection from the federal land was approved and signed into law, meaning relocation can be revived easily.”  (Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper, “In Nevada, The Name To Know Is Reid,” Los Angeles Times, 6/23/03)

• Harvey Whittemore And His Real Estate Development Project Contributed A Total Of $35,000 In Soft Money To The Searchlight Leadership Fund.  Harvey Whittemore gave Reid’s Leadership PAC $25,000 in unregulated soft money during the third quarter of 2002. Additionally, Coyote Springs, the real estate development project headed by Whittemore, donated another $10,000 to Reid’s leadership committee in 2000.  (Internal Revenue Service Website, Accessed 10/14/09)

Can't imagine why the Reids are tied together in November, can you?