Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a reputation for smearing his political opponents. Two memorable examples from the recent past: he’s accused former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney of not paying his taxes for 10 years (which was later determined to be patently untrue) and former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) of cowardice. But perhaps nothing compares to his over-the-top slurs directed at Charles and David Koch, the wealthy and politically engaged founders of Koch Industries.
His demagoguery stretches from the inane to the insane. At least some Tea Party groups, however, are saying enough is enough -- and thus are taking action:
A leader of the Tea Party Patriots filed an ethics complaint Monday against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for “abuse of political power” in his crusade against Republican mega-donors Charles and David Koch.
“It’s been generations since a member of the Senate has abused the power of his office to attack private citizens the way Harry Reid has sought to vilify Charles and David Koch,” said Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin.
Mr. Reid, Nevada Democrat, has regularly spoke on the Senate floor about the need to rein in spending by the Koch brothers, which he says has undermined the democratic process in America.
Ms. Martin accused Mr. Reid of “abusing his office in pursuit of naked political purposes.”
The complaint has been referred to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. What’s more, Martin is not only asking the committee to investigate how Reid is allocating taxpayer dollars to further his political agenda, but whether his behind-the-scenes and public battle against Koch Industries violates federal law. The complaint also questions the proprietary and legality of using government funds to host all night “talk-a-thons” to appease his far-Left, financial enablers.
For what it's worth, this is at least the second time Republican-aligned groups have asked the committee to investigate Harry Reid for inveighing against the Koch brothers. We'll see if anything comes of it.