You’ve heard the saying that making legislation is a lot like making sausage. Well according to Jordan Fabain of The Hill at Blog Briefing Room, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has been accused of making fudge, as in “fudging” a quote in his autobiography. As Fabian’s blog posting notes, it’s a case of he said, he said, and one of them is now deceased.
The question is, should Harry be given the benefit of the doubt? Past history tells us the good Senator from Nevada has a history of making fudge.
Surely you remember the time Reid sold property, and then sold it again for a huge profit and then fudged on his personal financial disclosure reports to the Senate Ethics Committee?
Reid Collected $1.1 Million On Sale Of Land He No Longer Owned. “Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn’t personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
“The Deal Began In 1998 When Reid Bought Undeveloped Residential Property On Las Vegas’ Booming Outskirts For About $400,000.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
• “Reid bought one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with [casino lawyer Jay] Brown.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
“In 2001, Reid Sold The Land For The Same Price To A Limited Liability Corporation Created By Brown.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
Reid Personally Signed Deeds Selling Property To Patrick Lane LLC. “Reid and his wife, Landra, personally signed the deeds selling their full interest in the property to brown’s company, Patrick Lane LLC, for the same $400,000 they paid in 1998, records show.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
Reid Continued To Pay Property Taxes On The Land He Sold In 2001. “And the two men continued to pay the property taxes from their personal checking accounts even after the land was sold to Patrick Lane in 2001, records show.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
“Despite The Sale, Reid Continued To Report On His Public Ethics Reports That He Personally Owned The Land Until It Was Sold Again In 2004.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
• “[Reid’s] Disclosure Forms To Congress Do Not Mention An Interest In Patrick Lane Or The Company’s Role In The 2004 Sale.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
“After Getting Local Officials To Rezone The Property For A Shopping Center, Brown’s Company Sold The Land In 2004 To Other Developers And Reid Took $1.1 Million Of The Proceeds, Nearly Tripling The Senator’s Investment. Reid Reported It To Congress As A Personal Land Sale.” (John Solomon and Kathleen Hennessey, “Reid Got $1 Million For Land He Hadn’t Owned For 3 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
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