Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Harry Reid rakes in $1M from trial lawyers by invoking Koch Bros.
Harry Reid rakes in $1M from trial lawyers by invoking Koch Bros.The Democratic leader flew to a fundraiser in Montreal on a donor’s private plane.
By Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan
7/23/15 2:14 PM EDT
For years, Harry Reid has railed against the Koch brothers as the worst example of the corrupting influence of special interest money in politics. But the Senate minority leader’s crusade against the conservative barons recently yielded big bucks for his own party.
Reid invoked the Republican megadonors during a July 12 fundraiser in Montreal for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In the end, he raised more than $1 million from one special interest — trial lawyers — by criticizing another. Reid flew to the event in one lawyer’s private jet.
“All that super PAC money that comes in from all those people — the Koch brothers and others — the TV stations see that coming, and they can charge them whatever they want,” Reid said, according to a transcript of his remarks obtained by POLITICO. “So the money that you give here — over a million dollars — will be multiplied so many times compared to that super PAC money. So thank you all very very much.”
Reid’s appeal to deep-pocketed trial lawyers shows how party leaders play the fundraising game these days: Counter the other side’s rich donors with your own and hit them up for money as often as possible and in whatever form they can give — direct contributions to candidates, or large donations to party affiliated super PACs. In this case, Reid was soliciting “hard” money that can be spent directly on races.
By Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan
7/23/15 2:14 PM EDT
For years, Harry Reid has railed against the Koch brothers as the worst example of the corrupting influence of special interest money in politics. But the Senate minority leader’s crusade against the conservative barons recently yielded big bucks for his own party.
Reid invoked the Republican megadonors during a July 12 fundraiser in Montreal for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In the end, he raised more than $1 million from one special interest — trial lawyers — by criticizing another. Reid flew to the event in one lawyer’s private jet.
“All that super PAC money that comes in from all those people — the Koch brothers and others — the TV stations see that coming, and they can charge them whatever they want,” Reid said, according to a transcript of his remarks obtained by POLITICO. “So the money that you give here — over a million dollars — will be multiplied so many times compared to that super PAC money. So thank you all very very much.”
Reid’s appeal to deep-pocketed trial lawyers shows how party leaders play the fundraising game these days: Counter the other side’s rich donors with your own and hit them up for money as often as possible and in whatever form they can give — direct contributions to candidates, or large donations to party affiliated super PACs. In this case, Reid was soliciting “hard” money that can be spent directly on races.
