Harry Reid calculated that he could simply call Abramoff a Republican scandal and walk away from any personal ramifications--things aren't working out for him.
The Las Vegas Journal Review is reporting that Harry got 50K from four Indian tribes after they became Abramoff clients--not a cent before.
Recall Senator Reid saying this recently?
"I've said that I received money from Indians in the past and will continue to do so."
Apparently that isn't true. He's received $19,500 from the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of California. $5,000 from the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. $7,000 from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and finally $19,000 from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.
Why does Harry have such far flung interests in Indian casinos? Why did Indian tribe donations to Congress more than triple after 2000 from less than 2 million to more than 7.2 million?
Why is it that everybody in Washington knows that the coverup is worse than the crime, yet ignores that axiom when its their turn in the docket?
The implications of this are astonishing--Harry Reid went ahead and made the Abramoff scandal the centerpiece of the Crat congressional campaigns this year even when he knew that he was personally vunerable on the issue, much more so than a Republican Congressman who got a $500.00 check. Reid is not stupid, which suggests that he thought he'd get some help on the issue from the media.. That's an increasingly poor bet these days, but older guys like Reid just can't break the habits of a political lifetime.
Rumor has it that Reid is in a power struggle with DNC chairman Howard Dean. The combination of scandal and enemies in high places bodes ill for the Senator from Nevada.
Daily Pundit: Nothing yet in the NYT--big surprise
Ace of Spades: Liberal Publication the American Prospect, absolves all Democrats of their sins, declaring no connection between Saddam and bin Laden, oh wait, I mean no connection between Abramoff and Indian tribe donations to paragons of virtue in the Democrat party.
California Conservative : Reid said. Asked what he would say about tribes who did not give him money until after hiring Abramoff, Reid said, “What I’ve said all along.”
Reid either has really big brass ones or he simply has no idea what to do next. I opt for the latter explanation. There is blood on the water. I think Reid is hanging on, hoping that this will blow over in a couple of weeks, or that some other event will take him off the radar. Another week of this and Harry is going to have to think about damage control and that's when it gets interesting.
Posted by Mick Stockinger on February 4, 2006 12:47 PM
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