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Showing posts from June 22, 2003
What's in a name? The L.A. Times publishes a devastating two-part series on the ways lawmakers use their influence to enrich family members. The second part focuses entirely on Nevada's own Sen. Harry Reid, who's seen his sons and son-in-law line their pockets nicely acting as "consultants" and lobbyists on various pieces of legislation. The PDF chart within the story which follows the money trail is mind-blowing. (Part one of the series is here .) This Times editorial , published today, contained the following gem: Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is in a class by himself. Reid sponsored legislation last year benefiting real estate, mining and corporate interests that were paying hundreds of thousands in lobbying fees to his sons' and son-in-law's firms. After The Times interviewed him last fall, Reid banned relatives, but not their partners and colleagues, from lobbying his office. It's a fig leaf that covers nothing. The unspoken message, intended or not,