OK, gay politicians are nothing new. There were reports that Jack Kemp never ran for higher office because he was playing HUD the salam with the wrong folks. I don't know.
Back to Dingy Harry. What exactly did he do wrong? Yes, maybe his disclosure wasnt the greatest but that is hardly a high crime.
He made 1.1 million dollars for selling land that he didn't own. This strongly suggests a laundered bribe, a la Hillery's miracle of the cattle futures...
For starters he didnt "make" $1.1M. He netted that from the sale. He initially invested $400k.
Yep bought one undeveloped lot outright, bought half of another in cahoots with a fellow named Jay Brown, long time friend and casino owner who's name has been linked to organized crime and, (* SURPRISE *), political bribery, as well as securities fraud. One of the SELLERS was benefiting from a government land swap that Reid backed. Sweetheart deal?
Second, bribes usually don't take place over 3 years.
Has No BEARING on whether this ONE did - just because murders don't usually happen on cruise liners doesn't mean a PARTICULAR murder could NOT have happened on a cruise liner.
Third, he owned the land, transferred it to an entity that he then had part ownership in,
WITHOUT informing Congress. WITHOUT disclosing his interest in the "entity" or his association financially with Brown. WHILE still claiming ownership of the land in financial disclosure documents he was required to file. Plus its a pretty sweet deal, You buy it at a reduced price in payback for a government favor, you sell it for everything it cost you, * AND * you still get to own it. Plus you dodge all the legal and tax liability. Where do I sign up for a deal like that. Oh wait, I can't - I'm not a crooked politician
and then cashed out his interest.
WHILE reporting it to Congress as a personal land deal, still hiding his relationship with Brown.
That doesnt look smell or sound like a bribe to me.
If you want to say it was a sweetheart deal that was improper, OK.
A sweetheart deal * IS * a bribe - its just disguised, is all.
But I have yet to see what the fuss is.
Trading government favors for sweetheart land deals, failure to disclose financial transactions on financila disclosure forms, and deliberately concealing an entangling business association with an organized crime/political bribery figure while making 7 figures on a deal whil simultaneously shirking all ownership, legal, and tax liabilities whilst selling the same peice of property twice.
(Maybe the Dems aren't as anti-capitalist as I thought...)
