I am no 'fan' of Harry Reid, I think he is a racist, and not a very effective Democratic leader, but the dead tree edition of the Tribune is trying to create the perception that the corruption of Harry Reid is equivalent to the corruption of Republicans like Curt Weldon.
On page 3, this story
Reid Used Campaign Money for Bonuses
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been using campaign donations instead of his personal money to pay Christmas bonuses for the support staff at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives in an upscale condominium. Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for personal use.
is on the same page as this story:
FBI raids have GOP tie-inFBI agents conducted raids in two states Monday as part of an investigation into whether Rep. Curt Weldon used his influence to steer business to a lobbying firm owned by his daughter and a one-time campaign aide, Justice Department officials and others familiar with the probe said.
Except Harry Reid is accused of misusing $3,300...
Questioned about the campaign expenditures by The Associated Press, Reid's office said Monday his lawyers had approved them but he nonetheless was personally reimbursing his campaign for the $3,300 he had directed to the staff holiday fund at his residence.
and Curt Weldon of misdirecting $1,000,000
Federal investigators are trying to determine whether the Pennsylvania Republican helped secure almost $1 million in contracts for Solutions North America, run by his daughter, Karen, and a Philadelphia-area Republican, Charles Sexton, who once served as Weldon's campaign finance chief.
Not quite the same. Crime is crime, but stealing a bottle of Lancers from a convenience store is not the same as recruiting Patty Hearst to rob the Hibernia National Bank.
Or worse
update 6pm
Josh Marshall has more
Tags: Congress, /corruption, /crime, /media
