Harry Reid’s Financial McCarthyism: ‘I Don’t Think the Burden Should Be on Me’

Posted on | August 2, 2012 | 64 Comments

The top Senate Democrat evidently believes he can make outrageous accusations based on anonymous secondhand “sources” and then require the accused to disprove his accusations:

Earlier this week, Harry Reid revealed why Mitt Romney is refusing to release more tax returns: He didn’t pay taxes for an entire decade! It almost sounds too crazy to be true, and in fact, Reid is “not certain” that it isn’t a total lie. However, he is sure of one thing: “I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination,” Reid told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I have had a number of people tell me that.” So we aren’t talking about just one anonymous Bain investor, but several people who have seemingly only shared this story with Reid.
In an interview with Nevada reporters on Wednesday, Reid refused to name his sources or back down on his accusation. “I don’t think the burden should be on me,” he said. “The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn’t he release his tax returns?”

This is preposterous and I feel compelled to offer an apology for using the term “McCarthyism” to describe Reid’s tactics, given that Sen. Joe McCarthy was an American patriot who never wrongly accused anyone of being Communist. (See M. Stanton Evans, Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America’s Enemies.) The comparison, however, is quite instructive: One of the reasons McCarthy’s critics were able to destroy him was because McCarthy’s investigations — like the investigations of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, with which they are often confused in popular legend — were often based on sources whose secrecy was a matter of national security.

McCarthy had access to information derived from FBI investigations, from CIA espionage and from the “Venona” decryptions of Soviet messages. He could not reveal the sources of this information (indeed, he was in most cases unaware of how the FBI and CIA got their information) without compromising the intelligence-gathering ability of these agencies. So when his critics accused McCarthy of making unsubstatiated accusations, McCarthy’s inability to say, “Here is the FBI report that supports the charge” made him look irresponsible.

What ultimately destroyed McCarthy was when he turned against the Eisenhower administration, and vice-versa. McCarthy knew that administration officials were aware of the factual basis of his investigations, and so when the White House showed, at best, lukewarm support for McCarthy, he began to suspect that they were “in on it,” complicit in a cover-up of Soviet subversion. The downfall of McCarthy was brought about by his fellow Republicans, and this produced a lingering suspicion that gave rise to the conspiracy theories promulgated by the John Birch Society (an organization that, whatever its errors, has been as unfairly maligned as McCarthy himself).

Compare this to Harry Reid’s claim that he has been told, by persons whom he will not name, that Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes for 10 years. Romney has committed no crime. If Romney has illegally evaded taxes all this time, why hasn’t Romney been prosecuted?

Is Harry Reid claiming that Eric Holder’s Justice Department failed to do its duty? Or does Reid believe there was some gigantic loophole in the tax code that permitted Romney — who by all accounts made a lot of money during those years — to avoid paying taxes legally?

I think it is neither of these. I think Harry Reid knows doggone well that Romney paid taxes, and if anyone has actually told him otherwise — if Reid is not lying about having “a number of people” tell him that Romney didn’t pay taxes — he knows better than to believe them.

How could they possibly know what’s in Romney’s IRS file?

That’s the real question, you see. John Heilemann of New York magazine suspects that the real reason Democrats are demanding to see all of Romney’s tax returns is because it would show that he has contributed millions to the Mormon church over the years. And I believe the Obama administration, in Nixonian fashion, has actually provided Romney’s IRS information to the president’s re-election campaign.

Therefore, let us look at how Harry Reid originally made this accusation in his interview with Sam Stein and Ryan Grim:

A month or so ago, he said, a person who had invested with Bain Capital called his office. “Harry, he didn’t pay any taxes for 10 years,” Reid recounted the person as saying. “He didn’t pay taxes for 10 years! Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain,” said Reid.

Hmmm. The obvious question, as Phil Klein of the Washington Examiner immediately pointed out, was how someone who was merely an investor in Bain Capital would know what was in Romney’s personal tax returns. The provenance is suspicious and, while I don’t think Harry Reid is as smart as Phil Klein, surely Harry isn’t so stupid as to believe that hhis mysterious source had access to such information.

When challenged on this claim, Reid doubled down, asserting that he’s talked to lots of people who say Romney paid zero taxes for ten years, and implied that reporters have been negligent:

Asked to elaborate on his sources, Reid declined. “No, that’s the best you’re going to get from me.” . . .
Reid challenged the media to be more aggressive in digging into Romney’s finances.
“What if he has paid no taxes, like I am saying he hasn’t,” Reid said. “What if he has all these moneys as we already know … in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Swiss banks. I mean, gee whiz, rather than ask me why I should do this, that is a story you should be writing.”

Hmmm. Harry wants to dictate to journalists what is a story (i.e., Romney’s finances) and what is not a story (i.e., the basis for Harry’s claims).

What if reporters refuse to play along? What if, instead, reporters bulldog Harry Reid and demand that he explain his accusations?

Now that Harry has claimed that he had multiple sources for his accusations, shouldn’t he provide some specific descriptions of his contacts with these informants? Shouldn’t reporters ask why Harry Reid was so confident that his sources were knowledgeable of Romney’s taxes?

Because frankly, I don’t believe this crap. I do not believe that Harry Reid’s interest in Mitt Romney’s tax forms is based on any phone calls or casual conversations with Bain investors or anyone else outside the world of Democrat Party politics. Harry’s tale is implausible.

What I believe is this: Whatever Harry Reid knows about Mitt Romney’s taxes, he obtained from Democrat Party sources who, in turn, got it via the leaking of this confidential information from IRS officials to individuals affiliated with the Obama campaign.

Reid is lying — mischaracterizing his sources — to conceal the fact that the Obama campaign has illegally obtained Romney’s IRS forms.

But don’t expect me to prove that accusation. I don’t think the burden should be on me. The burden should be on Harry Reid. He’s the one I’ve alleged is part of a Nixonian conspiracy at the White House. Why didn’t Harry identify his sources?

Also, somebody called me last month and said, “Harry Reid is a communist!” Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain. But I mean, gee whiz, that is a story you should be writing.

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Category: Barack Obama, Conspiracy Theories, Election 2012, Harry Reid, Mitt Romney, Taxes

Comments

64 Responses to “Harry Reid’s Financial McCarthyism: ‘I Don’t Think the Burden Should Be on Me’”

Harry Reid’s Financial McCarthyism: ‘I Don’t Think the Burden Should Be on Me’ « Jackie Wellfonder – Raging Against the Rhetoric
August 2nd, 2012 @ 10:57 am

[…] at The Other McCain Share this:EmailTwitterFacebookPrintTumblrMoreRedditLinkedInStumbleUponDiggPinterestLike […]
jlwellfonder
August 2nd, 2012 @ 10:58 am

Asshattery at it’s finest…
smitty
August 2nd, 2012 @ 11:01 am

@rsmccain:disqus I’ve never heard of a Commie Mormon, so I’m confident that Reid is not a Commie. But if both Reid and Romney are Mormons in good standing, the Dingius Maximus can likely infer (or find out through Salt Lake City) about Mitt’s church contributions.But that would be about the most Judas Iscariot play since. . .Judas himself?
Red Dawn
August 2nd, 2012 @ 11:06 am

Dirty Harry’s a complete and utter embarrassment to the good people of Nevada.
smitty
August 2nd, 2012 @ 11:27 am

Dingius Maximus
Captain Whitebread
August 2nd, 2012 @ 11:36 am

It seems Mr. Reid’s hasn’t changed much since eighth grade. This is the kind of behavior you’d expect to see in junior high.
Have You No Sense of Decency, Sir? | hogewash
August 2nd, 2012 @ 12:05 pm

[…] for the burden of proof of the accusations he has made concerning Mitt Romney’s taxes. Stacy McCain has an excellent post up demolishing that […]
PGlenn
August 2nd, 2012 @ 12:08 pm

What are the pros/cons of the Dem obsession over the tax returns?

Sure, the Dem-Media Complex can do some damage to Romney by droning on and on and on about this “story” for months. On the other hand, this “campaign” is so contrived and obvious – even by their standards – that perhaps “swing voters” will become more irritated by the silliness of it than they’ll be worried about Romney’s greeeeeed.

Will this be the moment that even Joanie Loves Chachi fans realize that the Dem-Media Complex has jumped the shark?
James
August 2nd, 2012 @ 12:37 pm

I’ve been reading a lot lately that Harry Reid may be a Pedarest. I haven’t seen any sourcing for those rumors, but I haven’t heard any denials from the Reid office, either…
Mortimer Snerd
August 2nd, 2012 @ 12:47 pm

“perhaps “swing voters” will become more irritated by the silliness of it”

Why is it silly to ask for his tax returns? I think most people consider it a perfectly reasonable thing to expect from a candidate for president. Romney’s own father released 12 years of his returns over 40 years ago, and he wasn’t even the nominee. If Romney persists in holding his back, it will be the gift that keeps on giving from now till the election for the democrats. It may well cost him the presidency.
Gitmo
August 2nd, 2012 @ 12:50 pm

Harry Reid was reportedly once seen in the company of a Catholic priest. He also was reportedly in the same place with a Los Angeles school teacher. Does this make him a pedophile?
McGehee
August 2nd, 2012 @ 12:52 pm

Reid refused to name his sources or back down on his accusation. “I don’t think the burden should be on me,” he said. “The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes.”

Didn’t I read somewhere this guy started out as a prosecutor?

I stand by my earlier assessment: Stage III Mad Cow.
sheryl
August 2nd, 2012 @ 12:55 pm

I loathe that man, I really, really do. Truth be told, I loathe John Kerry too. I think I loathe John Kerry more than Obama if that is possible. I honestly thought we dodged a bullet there when Bush won a second term. Darn shame the administration and GOP establishment didn’t think so. their actions in that area may have prevented Obama, but I guess it is what it is…
PCachu
August 2nd, 2012 @ 1:04 pm

A lot of people seemed to think that releasing things like medical records and college transcripts was “a perfectly reasonable thing to expect from a candidate for president” four years ago. Somehow, failing to release them wasn’t an obstacle to President Transparency. No matter how you slice it, #OccupyResoluteDesk has lowered the bar for everything and everyone.

Also? Mittens has already released all the returns required by law. Harry’s just fishing for something, anything to sift through for oppo research. And since the tax code is complex and contradictory to such an extent that no one with a substantial income can actually file a perfect return, he knows there’s got to be something to point and scream about in there.

#HarryReidIsAPederast. By his own “logic”, the burden is on him to prove me wrong.
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 1:09 pm

Reid would have to be a member of the bishopric to be privy to what Romney tithed so big doubts on that one. The church doesn’t require one follow a certain set of political standards in order to be a “mormon in good standing” so Reid could very well be socialist or commie but not in the truest sense. I don’t think communists are known for a belief in G-d.
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 1:10 pm

Unfortunately I don’t think one can sue for political slander. Too bad for Romney. I’m with jlwellfonder on this on.
Harry Reid , NY Magazine and aliens from Planet Zoltar » Datechguy's Blog
August 2nd, 2012 @ 1:21 pm

[…] McCain who approaches this nonsense in a more earthly vein, has a different opinion: What I believe is this: Whatever Harry Reid knows about Mitt Romney’s taxes, he obtained from […]
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 1:22 pm

Ah bullshit on that. It’s not ‘the gift that keeps on giving” That’s a farce. It’s farcical to continue to push Romney to open up his tax returns. The only reason #OccupyResoluteDesk wants that done is so they can attack Romney for his religion on the premise of how out of touch he is with Americans according to his income (which is to say how much he gave in tithing) and is truly the democrat’s real motive: religious bigotry.
JFKennedy underwent the same religious persecution for being Catholic and those political opposed pushed that JFK was going to allow the Catholic Church to control America.

Just another dirty political tactic.
SDN
August 2nd, 2012 @ 1:47 pm

The problem is this isn’t political. He’s accusing Romney of committing actual crimes. I suspect that might move past even the public figure exception.

Besides, the discovery process alone would be worth the filing. I mean, how could Harry object? Does he have something to hide?
Count de Money
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:06 pm

I got a phone call from a friend who told me that Harry Reid has syphilitic dementia. Of course, I don’t know if it’s true but it would explain a lot.

Reid is a wonder to behold. He has that magical combination of nastiness and stupidity cannot be matched by anyone. Not even by Nancy Pelosi.
Finrod Felagund
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:14 pm

Harry Reid has sex with goats.

Disprove it, Harry!
rosalie
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:15 pm

I think Reid missed his calling. Whenever I see a photo of him, I can’t help but think he would have made a nice funeral director.
wschoenfuss
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:20 pm

A friend of mine was told by a former resident of Nevada that Harry Reid is a pederast. So, off, media, and do your research, just don’t ask for any more details from me! Just make Harry clear up the record as regards his pederasty. After all, it is the secretive Harry Reid who is covering all this up.
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:24 pm

How is it not political? What’s Reid have to gain by all of this and why didn’t he bring any of his concerns up four years ago when Romney ran? Reid doesn’t have anything to gain for he is acting on behalf of his bosses and his political party. It’s totally political.
MarkJ
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:26 pm

Pederasty aside, my anonymous source on the street says he knows for a fact that Harry Reid’s greatest regret is that he’ll never be a Nazi Gauleiter.

And, hey, it’s up to Harry to prove that my source is wrong.
Slander on the Senate Floor: Harry Reid Repeats Romney Tax Accusation : The Other McCain
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:28 pm

[…] bit as outrageous as Obama’s “you didn’t build that.”PREVIOUSLY:Aug. 2: Harry Reid’s Financial McCarthyism: ‘I Don’t Think the Burden Should Be on Me’Aug. 1: … And the Pulitzer Prize for Recycling Second-Hand Rumors From HuffPo …July 24: […]
H. D.
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:47 pm

I haven’t heard Reid or his staff address the pederasty issue. What are they hiding?
PCachu
August 2nd, 2012 @ 2:51 pm

I believe what SDN’s driving at is that, while the accusation is definitely there for no more reason than to try to make political hay out of rhetorical manure, Harry may have crossed the line between “political mud-slinging” and “tortious slander”.

Or, in the immortal words of Leonard “J.” Crabs: Grease up your cornhole, Harry, ’cause it’s time for a lawsuit!
TonyRaskoon
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:02 pm

I too have recently read ‘Harry Reid may be a pederast.’ I’ve read it all over the place. If he didn’t have something to hide he would lay this Harry Reid is a pederast thing to rest by coming clean regarding his involvement in pederasty or his complete denial of his involvement in pederasty. Although, I’ve read so much about it now I’m not sure I can believe a denial anymore. The press needs to investigate! What if he is a pederast like all these unnamed sources never really allege! He needs to deal with this, its disgraceful!
richard mcenroe
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:03 pm

Both of them.
richard mcenroe
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:05 pm

Considering that Obama allegedly under-reported his own taxes, is this really a hill the Dems want to try to take?
Eric Blair
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:11 pm

you’re right that Harry Reid is off base, ludicrously so. But it’s funny to see these reactions from the right wing. When someone makes unsubstantiated assertions against a Republican, it is McCarthyism. When a chorus of people, including elected officials make unsubstantiated assertions against Obama (that he was not born in the country, is palling around with terrorists, is a Muslim, etc.) or others on the left (e.g. that Keith Ellison and Anthony Weiner’s wife may be associated with the Muslim Brotherhood), the right wing is curiously silent. I am disgusted by Sen. Reid’s insinuation. You agree with me there. I am disgusted by the many unsubstantiated claims re: Obama. I suspect you do not share my feelings there. Consistency would be a virtue in this context.
rbeccah
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:21 pm

Egad, look at his face. In your hour of bereavement, would you really want to have to look at that wizened, sour old visage?
McGehee
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:22 pm

The intent may be political but the fact remains tha he’s out there publicly claiming to have evidence that Romney has committed multiple felonies.

That crosses a line, and it may be a bright one, between mere speech and outright defamation.

(Or, yanno, what PCachu already said.)
McGehee
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:25 pm

When a chorus of people, including elected officials make
unsubstantiated assertions against Obama (that he was not born in the
country, is palling around with terrorists, is a Muslim, etc.) or others
on the left (e.g. that Keith Ellison and Anthony Weiner’s wife may be
associated with the Muslim Brotherhood), the right wing is curiously
silent.

Maybe you need — I SAID, MAYBE YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HEARING CHECKED.
Eric Blair
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:28 pm

McGehee, yelling at me doesn’t help your case and is not a very effective form of debate. I look forward to seeing you all join me in expressing disgust at the widely repeated McCarthyesque claims that Obama was not born in the United States and is a Muslim.
Newbury
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:30 pm

Stage III syphilis would be more likely….
PGlenn
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:34 pm

On the bright side, Reid’s mug might scare a few dearly departed into waking up for a few years, giving them a new lease on life. Of course, these reawakened citizens would vote Democrat.
massjim
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:47 pm

I heard from a person who knows the second cousin of somebody who once shook the hand of a friend of someone who once passed Reid on the street that Harry Reid has no brain. And it ain’t up to me to prove Reid is not an absolute idiot..
tomindecatur
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:59 pm

Eric, Bill Ayers and Bernadette Dorhn WERE terrorists and close associates of Obama. You remember Bill Ayers dontcha? “Guilty as hell and free as a bird”. Not exactly “unsubstantiated” now, is it? I have NO interest in where Obama was born but I have a GREAT deal of interest in how he got a social security number issued in Connecticut while he was in high school in Hawaii. Aren’t you even a little bit curious?
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 3:59 pm

Ah, well. I don’t think one can sue for slander in this case. Reid could hide behind the whole election process and correct me if I’m wrong (which does happen) but I don’t think one can sue for mud-slinging.
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:00 pm

Love your avatar btw.
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:02 pm

Crossing lines is something Reid and company idoes on a regular basis. Who is going to hold him accountable? My guess is November’s vote is the only thing that will do the job::fingers crossed::
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:02 pm

Heaven forbid.
Bob Belvedere
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:05 pm

Especially considering the word is out that he is a pederast.
Red
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:06 pm

It’s remains unsubstantiated because the other party refuses to simply show their cards. That’s a different issue in that Romney has already turned over his tax returns. Obama has never given up a real birth certificate (some bad graphic design) or his college transcripts and papers. Not exactly McCarthism.
Bob Belvedere
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:08 pm

I think he should have gone into character acting because he would make an excellent movie funeral director.
sablegsd
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:24 pm

In a just world, this lying thieving POS would have already been stretched naked on a wagon wheel and left in the desert to meet his maker. Satan.
PGlenn
August 2nd, 2012 @ 4:45 pm

Which GOP Senator, other high-ranking member of the party, and/or team Romney said that Obama was not born in the U.S. and is a Muslim? I also missed the Romney campaign commercial making either of those accusations.
aggy_0
August 2nd, 2012 @ 5:01 pm

I’m most curious about this idea that Obama’s people think that Romney giving millions to his church will *hurt* him in an election campaign. How exactly does that work? Most Americans would be happy to see Romney giving so much to a church. Particularly one that does so much overseas mission work (including hunger and disaster relief). They may not agree with Mormon beliefs, but they all know what kind of work that churches do, since many of them give money themselves. Including many Americans who give despite their own personal financial problems.