Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, may be the target of an ethics investigation following reports he accepted free boxing tickets to three fights from the Nevada Boxing Commission at the same time a bill was moving through the Senate to increase federal oversight of the oft-criticized sport.
Reid said, according to the report, he accepted the tickets because he was researching the potential impact boxing regulations would have on his home state (the matches were in Las Vegas) and the free tickets would not have any impact on his vote.
The tickets did not come from a private lobbyist but it is hard to ignore a certain appearance, especially when Reid's behavior is compared to two other senators.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, insisted on paying for his ticket for the fight he attended with Reid. Sen. Ensign, R-Nevada, accepted the free tickets but then abstained from any votes or actions on the boxing bill.
In all likelihood, Reid has done nothing that will force the federal government to find him a seat in federal prison next to ex-Republican Rep. Duke Cunningham. That seat is still likely reserved for embattled Louisiana Democrat Rep. William Jefferson.
What Reid might have done, should this story catch fire in the national news media, is deliver another blow to what was to be a prominent theme of Democratic campaigns in the upcoming midterm elections: a culture of corruption.
Many Democrats had hoped to run a campaign taking Republicans to task for ethical violations using Cunningham, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and others as examples.
That effort has taken a series of hits recently as several Democrats have run into legal and ethical troubles. West Virginia Rep. Alan Mollohan, the highest-ranking member on the House Ethics committee, is under investigation for corruption. Rep. Jefferson is accused of taking bribes. Don Siegelman, who might well be the next governor of Alabama, is currently under indictment and on trial for allegations of corruption during the time he was governor of Alabama. Add Reid to this list who, in addition to this boxing brouhaha, has apparent ties to Abramoff according to this news story.
Neither party has a monopoly on political corruption. We have gotten into this mess in part because too many in the electorate think the other party is the corrupt one. Former President Ronald Reagan is credited with having had a so-called 11th Commandment admonishing Republicans not to criticize fellow Republicans. I recognize the virtue of unity and loyalty but that is exactly the wrong approach to take! We should expect more of our own respective party, whichever party we belong to, than we do of our opponents.
Article comments
1 - billy
you missed one big point, reid voted against the people who supposedly "bribed" him.
with 100 indicted criminal republicans, and ZERO indicted democrats, this piece is pure bullshit.
2 - DJRadiohead
Billy, I appreciate your comment. Don Siegelman, Democrat, is indicted and on trial right now. I realize that is a state office, governor of Alabama, but he is a Democrat under indictment. Reps. Jefferson and Mollahan are not under indictment at present but I think it is a safe bet one or both of them will face indictment.
As to Reid specifically, I didn't accuse him of bribery. As I mention, Reid is not likely to go to jail. The story I link to did not mention Reid's supposed vote, either. I can't verify it or refute it. It kind of misses the broader point I had hoped to make. Even if Reid did not take bribes I think the two other senators showed a higher standard of ethical behavior than Reid did. You are entitled to not see an appearance of impropriety. That is completely fair.
My piece does not argue that the Democrats are bastions of corruption or to exonerate Republicans from it. I don't accept your 100-0 statistic. I think the tone of your final statement is reflective of the kind of thinking that is harming politics rather than helping it.
3 - Mark Saleski
Even if Reid did not take bribes I think the two other senators showed a higher standard of ethical behavior than Reid did
exactly. it used to be that perception was equivalent to reality in politics. now people make their own reality up. kinda sad.
4 - Dave Nalle
Billy, please list these '100 indicted republicans'. Looking at the list of people indicted over the last few years I see a good mix of both parties and fewer than a dozen Republicans in major offices.
Dave
5 - Dave Nalle
Oh, and as for Reid's tickets, it's pretty trivial, but if you're the Senator from Nevada how incredibly dumb do you have to be to accept boxing tickets from anyone?
Dave
6 - DJRadiohead
Agreed, Dave. Reid's profile is probably more noteworthy than his alleged offense in this case.
7 - Craig Michie
I now live in Nevada and at one time was very active in the Video Production side of Professional Boxing. This is an important aspect of the Entertainment Product of Nevada. It is also at the center of many other issues including Fight Safety, Local Economics, regulation from Safety, to Gaming, Nevada Fight Rules up to and including regulations on both Audio and Video Broadcast matters.
As one that has worked first hand in the industry, my understanding of many of these issues has been improved by my direct contact working within these events.
Would you really want someone making these type of decisions without the opportunity to see, feel and touch first hand the magic that we call a World Class Boxing Event? When I look at this issue in some way I wonder if this is just an opportunity by some to try and find something, anything to simply point a lonley finger at Harry Reid to create a story to stir the pot?
Lets take a look at how we want regulation to be conducted. Do we want it done in the blind? Do we want all actions and acts paid for and publicly documented? If so, then make that the standard for all, that easy to do and then make the records available to all on every issue, NO Exceptions!!
Here in Nevada we learned a lot from a Trial where we heard wire tapped conversations between adult club owners and county commissioners! Should all calls be recorded and made available for public review. This would make the process open to all and very available to the public. We learned a lot about how our business was really getting done, that's important Right?
That is a Good Idea Right! Let's do it for all public officials because they all do it on our dollar! Then we could see who has access and what that access looks and sounds like. Then We can decide on our own about the quality of the representation from our officials.
I don't know Harry personally but I don't ever recall seeing him at the fights before. I don't think he makes this one of the events he attends when he is home, but I would think that seeing several fights and watching the operation here in his home state would be helpful in understanding the Nevada Operation and then decide on how issues of regulation could best be addressed.
My two cents, and I thank you!
Craig
8 - Dave Nalle
I've got no problem with Reid going to a fight. Hell, send the whole Senate at our expense. But as a Nevada public official he ought to be fully aware that you don't take gifts from gaming interests. Period. Taking the tickets just shows a profound lack of judgement.
Dave
9 - DJRadiohead
Craig, you make some reasonable points. Let me throw these things out there for your consideration.
1 - I have no problem with Sen. Reid going to a fight. Part of the reason I have trouble buying the "studying economic impact" explanation is that in the AP story I link to it is revealed Reid is a boxing fan and I think it even said he used to do a little boxing. That tells me he was there on more than just a fact-finding mission and that he knows a little about the sport. If he likes boxing, I don't blame him. I like boxing. I would love to go ringside. Sen. McCain sprang for his own ticket. I am not wise to the wealth of Sen. Reid but I have a feeling he could have cut that check, too.
Also, if he wants to see what boxing is like before regulating then he should go to a match (although it sounds like he has been to a few). Studying economic impact could have been done at his office with computers, spreadsheets, and other documents. Sen. Reid gave a bit of a lame excuse. It's the word "economic" that made me roll my eyes.
That said, let me reiterate, I agree with your assessment that it is not usually a good idea to regulate something you have never seen. Regulating something after you took comp tickets to see it does not give a good appearance. I think he should have picked up his own tab.
10 - Craig Michie
All Good Points!! Now it's a day later and here is the News!! The Nevada Boxing Commission gets about 30 tickets from the promoters to use for... Well that is not clearly outlined but seems as if they can do as they see fit with them? McCain is said to have given up $1400.00 for the ticket he got. The Commission would not accept the money and so it was then given to the Promoter who then would not accept it, so it was given to charity.
Now late in the day, Reid I here has changed his mind on the entire issue. OK so one can change his mind, but could we still get a ruling on the issue? Accept nothing, Pay for everything keep the receipt, document it, publish it, audit it, report it, review it, question it... Forget it!!
Did I miss anything? Thanks again!! Want to bet this story still has legs? Only one correction to make, the tickets both came from the Nevada Boxing Commission not from "Gaming Interest" as was suggested.
Craig
11 - DJRadiohead
Craig, thanks for the updates. This may seem like a quibble but the Nevada Boxing Commission is something of a gaming interest, at least it is to me. Are they one and the same? No, but the NBC has a vested interest in anything Congress may have done in the way of regulating boxing. "Gaming" is more than boxing so maybe a better choice of words would be better but I think the connection is still pretty clear.
This incident in and of itself doesn't prove Sen. Reid is a crook. What it demonstrates to me is a certain political tone-deafness. He either did not care about the appearance this gives or it didn't occur to him. If it didn't occur to him he is either not very bright, thought he could just get away with it without the story leaking (again, not very bright in this day and age), or just saw nothing wrong with it. It's that last one that worries me. I don't have a lot of faith in him to handle the larger issues if he can't see the conflict on something that in the grand scheme of things is very small.
And my column is not just about banging on Sen. Reid. It's about the corruption scandals on both sides of the aisle in Washington D.C. and in state houses across the nation. It's about getting political parties to wake up and police themselves. It's about voters making their representatives accountable, regardless or party.
12 - Mat Brewster
Very well put. You should team up with EB and Phillip and resurrect This is the type of political discussion I can stomach.
13 - Eric Berlin
Good piece, DJR.
Some analyst was quoted as stating that Reid's offense, if there is one, rates about a 2 out of 10 on the scandal-ometer.
In any event, I agree with your general theme, DJR, that there's no monopoly on corrpuption or hypocrisy in this country. Let's take that as a given. That said, the party in power AND the party that is the clearly egregious offender must rightfully take its shots. Otherwise, I'd argue, we would be left in an environment where it's "everyone does it so no one should say anything." And we know that's not going to happen in this media-drenched real world of ours!
14 - DJRadiohead
EB, thanks for checking it out and commenting.
I think it was possible this story might have had some life in it just because of who Reid is but Reid is a lot like Speaker Hastert- powerful man that no one outside the beltway could pick out of a lineup. It probably all blows over because in the end we're talking about boxing tickets. We're also talking about the kind of freebies I think most Americans figure powerful people get.
I don't know that one party is clearly the egregious offender. I think $90,000 in your fuckin' freezer is pretty egregious. That said... I don't know which party is worst at this moment. Maybe it is the GOP. I think there is too much dirt at the moment on both for either side to have real credibility in politicking against the other.
Until DeLay, the House Ethics committee pretty well stayed silent here as of late. The Ethics committee had become such a great weapon of both sides that both sides declared an "unofficial truce (saw or read a story about that on CNN)." What we have now, instead of saying nothing, is enough accusations of wrongdoing against everyone that the public tunes it out. And I think, cynically, that is what both parties want. To annoy the public with this rubbish to the point we stop trying to call them on it.
If we ever got to a point where Republicans got more outraged about a scandal from one of their own as they do about a Democratic scandal (and vice versa) we might see some real reform. Now we have both parties rallying to help their own survive the scandal.