Why Is Obama's DOJ Shielding Reid From Corruption Probe?
................................................................................................................
Investor's Business Daily 03/14/2014
Excerpt:
While the Justice Department was busy compiling a case against Obama critic Dinesh D'Souza for minor campaign-law violations, it was blocking a more troubling probe involving the Senate's top Democrat.
On Thursday, ABC News and the Washington Times reported that local Utah prosecutors had found evidence pointing to possible illegal campaign contributions and other questionable financial deals involving both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Utah's junior Republican senator, Mike Lee.
But despite working with the FBI, they've been blocked from moving that case forward by a Justice Department that has sat on it for months, refusing to let the FBI empanel a federal grand jury or issue subpoenas to determine if Reid or Lee broke any federal laws.
In one incident being investigated, Reid allegedly switched sides and sponsored an online gambling bill after he allegedly received money from the industry.
A senior FBI official told ABC News the inaction by the DOJ "risks creating the perception of a cover-up."
No kidding.
It's not like this sort of corruption charge is wildly out of character for Reid. Even the mainstream press has picked up the foul stench of his past activities.
In 2012, Reuters reported that Reid had been doing yeoman's work on behalf of a Chinese energy firm, ENN, that wanted to build a $5 billion solar panel plant in Nevada. Turns out Reid's son Rory worked at the law firm representing that very same company.
The Washington Post reported that in 2004 and 2005, Reid earmarked $21.5 million for a bridge linking a gambling resort town in Nevada with a city in Arizona where Reid just happened to own 160 acres of undeveloped land.
Reid also reportedly funneled some $47 million in earmarks that directly benefited organizations his son Key was affiliated with.
And last year, a close Reid friend, Harvey Whittemore, was found guilty of directing more than $130,000 worth of illegal funds into Reid's re-election war chest.
Just because the DOJ roadblock protects both Reid and Lee doesn't necessarily absolve the agency of playing politics. Since the two cases are intertwined, officials could hardly let one go forward while keeping the other bottled up.
*snip*
Full Editorial |
