During a frenzied outburst on the Senate floor Wednesday, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) denounced cancer-research barons Charles and David Koch as "about as un-American as anyone that I can imagine" and accused them of trying to "buy our democracy."
We are interested to learn more about what sort of activity Reid considers "un-American."
Would that include helping a Chinese-owned wind farm secure $450 million in stimulus funding to build a factory in Reid’s home state of Nevada after receiving thousands of dollars in campaign donation’s from the wind farm’s backers?
What about recruiting a Chinese energy company represented by Reid’s son to set up shop in Nevada, and helping that company purchase a 9,000-acre site at a fraction of the appraised value?
How about the time Reid pressured White House officials to expedite visa applications for dozens of foreign investors in a Las Vegas casino hotel project spearheaded by prominent Democratic donors, despite concerns about "suspicious financial activity" among those investors?
Government officials initially rejected the visa applications, a decision that is typically non-reviewable, but were overruled by the Obama administration. As a result, those officials expressed concern that the visa program had become too politicized.
"This one is going to be a major headache for us all because Sen. Reid’s office/staff is pushing hard and I just had a long yelling match on the phone," an official with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services wrote to officials at the Department of Homeland Security in regard to the visa applications.
By all means, Senator Reid, tell us more about your concern that powerful individuals are gaming the political system to enrich themselves and their allies.