Dirty Harry Is Feeling Lucky: The L.A. Times Ignores Every New Revelation About His Ethics Troubles
Captain Ed has a compelling piece in today’s New York Post about Dirty Harry Reid’s shady land shenanigans. Meanwhile — coincidentally? — Reid has decided to amend his disclosures.
And there is a new revelation: that Reid has violated federal law by using campaign donations to pay personal expenses. He’s paying it all back — of course, after being called on it by the AP. What did the Atlanta Journal-Constitution say? Oh yes: “Reid’s ethics meter only seems to work when it’s too late.”
Oh . . . and there is nothing new about any of this in the L.A. Times. Nor have I heard a word back from the reporters who used to be hard on Reid’s trail.
UPDATE 10-17-06 12:24 a.m.: The paper has finally come out with this three-paragraph blockbuster story. Savor the detail:
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been using campaign donations instead of his personal money to pay Christmas bonuses for support staff at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives in an upscale condominium. Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for personal use.
Reid’s office said his lawyers had approved the payments but he nonetheless was personally reimbursing his campaign for the $3,300 he spent.
Reid also announced he was amending his ethics reports to Congress to more fully account for a Las Vegas land deal that allowed him to collect $1.1 million in 2004 for property he hadn’t personally owned in three years.
Well, there you have it, then.