Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) on Tuesday accused libertarian philanthropists Charles and David Koch of advocating criminal justice reform in order to reduce their own legal liabilities.
The Kochs have become more active in efforts to reduce "overcriminalization" and reform the U.S. justice system "because they have been in the past prosecuted for doing some things that have been illegal," Reid suggested in a speech on the Senate floor.
Reid did not specify what illegal actions would be absolved by the Kochs’ criminal justice reform efforts, which are generally aimed at reducing mandatory minimum sentencing and ending the drug war.
A Washington Free Beacon analysis has found that, to the extent the Kochs would benefit from criminal justice reform efforts, so too could Reid and some of his prominent financial and political supporters.
Changes to federal law could allow Reid in the future to keep illegal campaign contributions such as those that he received from his granddaughter’s jewelry company or from convicted felon Harvey Whittemore, who illegally funneled nearly $150,000 to Reid’s campaign.