Harry Reid: More Problems to Come? [Jack M.]

Ace mentioned the shady "money for nothing" land deal that AP is reporting landed Democratic Senator Harry Reid a cool million dollars in an earlier post today.

What Ace didn't mention though is what may prove to be the most interesting sentence in the article. Which is why I'm posting this entry on the same subject.

How did the AP find out about Reid's questionable transaction?

AP first learned of the transaction from a former Reid aide who expressed concern the deal hadn't been properly reported.

A former Reid aide is dishing to the AP in advance of the November election? Uh-oh. If I'm Harry Reid, I'm not a happy man right now.

Why?

Lengthy and Highly speculative analysis based on my personal experiences working for a US Senator after the jump.

As a former staffer, that sentence sets off alarm bells. Staffers just dont dish on their bosses as a general rule.

Why? Loyalty and partisanship aside, there is another reason. Most of them simply aren't privy to the kind of info that would ever "harm" their boss. They simply never get promoted to the point of being a "insider" who would know, for example, about a Senator's questionable personal financial dealings.

Which means that only a handful of people in Reid's office would likely ever have even known about this "secret" land deal. A list that probably includes no more than the following people (note: it is a former Reid staffer so no implication that people currently holding these positions with Reid should be drawn):

1) The executive assistant: Essentially the Senator's secretary/personal assistant. This person is usually tasked with the job of completing the disclosure forms for the Senator to review and sign. The excutive assistant, in the course of completing these forms, is usually provided with all of the Senator's financial documentation and paperwork.

2) The Chief of Staff: This person usually is required to fill out a seperate disclosure form himself (based on the fact that most Chiefs of Staff are designated as someone who can receive checks on the Senator's behalf). Further, the COS knows everything that goes on in most Senate offices, and is usually the Senator's closest professional and personal confidant. It's likely that if Reid had questions about this deal, he might have floated them past his COS for another opinion.

3) The Senator's internal legal counsel: Many offices have full time lawyers on staff in a variety of positions. Some (like I was) are tasked with also serving as compliance officers to make sure that any complicated or confusing issues were resolved prior to the Senator taking action or signing a disclosure document that might be incorrect or illegal.

It's also possible that his Legislative Director, his Press Secretary or a staffer working in the State of Nevada migh have been aware about this deal. But the odds of this decrease with each position.

So, if you are Harry Reid you have just been told by the AP that a former staffer, who is probably someone who was in a position to know, has started talking. And, you have to believe, this staffer may also have access to copies of any documents in question that first caused them to take notice that something fishy was going on at all.

Which begs the question: why are they talking to the press?

1) Good Government: The AP suggests it's because the former staffer is talking to them because the staffer was concerned that Reid was acting illegally. Maybe this is all there is to it. My gut tells me this isn't likely though. For starters, you wouldn't go to the press unless you KNEW Reid was acting improperly. You also might be motivated if you feared you could be positioned to be the fall guy and wanted to head that off ahead of time.

2) Blackmail? Since the number of people who would have been privy to info about this land deal is limited, and since they apparently are no longer in the service of Reid, it should be pretty easy for the Senator to draw up a list of names. I bet he probably knows who is talking to the AP already. Could this be a former staffer firing a shot across the bow in the hopes that some of that sweet, sweet Vegas casino money might be coming his way? I dunno. It sort of has that feel to it though. Leak a little to show you know the scoop, but not enough to give the game away, preserving your ability to "forget" or "disappear" once a little money gets passed your way.

3) Disgruntled? Reid's people haven't played this card yet. I have a feeling they might if this land deal becomes a big issue. I can hear the cries of "it's just someone we fired trying to get even with the Senator" already. And maybe, just maybe, that is true. Then again, if Reid did have a falling out with someone who knows where the skeletons are buried, that doesn't bode well for him down the road either.

4) Building Cred with a Rival? This is more common than you might believe. Just because this person is listed as a "former Reid staffer" doesn't mean that this person is a "former Senate staffer". They simply could have gone to a new office. Perhaps they are currently employed for a Democratic Senator who has leadership aspirations of their own and would like to see Reid removed. How better to prove your fidelity to the new office than by taking your old boss down?

5) A flipper? Or, perhaps, this former staffer has done the unthinkable and has joined the Dark Side and is now leaking on behalf of the GOP. Again, not a very happy prospect for Mr. Reid. Especially if the Democrats fail to regain the Senate this year, and the Democrats start looking for scalps.

There may be other reasons. These are just the first ones that I thought of when I read this article. I think the fact that a former staffer has broken the "staff code" and has begun leaking damaging information about the Senate Minority Leader is a very interesting development.

And one that should keep Mr. Reid up all night, as he ponders which of the above options he might be facing.