In a variation of the vintage expression, “a little bird told me,” Sen. Harry Reid this week said he learned via an out-of-the-blue telephone caller that Mitt Romney paid no taxes for 10 years, notes Grumpy Editor.
The unsubstantiated “revelation,” nevertheless, grabbed much print space and broadcast time.
Other than Reid saying the call came from “an investor in Bain Capital,” the private equity firm cofounded by Romney, there was no way to determine the authenticity --- or even if there was a call to the Senate majority leader.
The Nevada Democrat told the Huffington Post, “Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain.”
Reid has said without more disclosure by the Republican presidential candidate, Romney “couldn’t be confirmed as dog catcher.”
A Romney spokesman said Reid’s charge was baseless and below the belt.
Talk show host Rush Limbaugh yesterday suggested interrogation of Reid by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
After making his charge, Reid challenged the media --- rather than utilizing his large staff or Senate investigators --- to dig into Romney’s finances.
Then the senator added the fuzzy (and perhaps revealing) line: “What if he (Romney) has paid no taxes, like I am saying he hasn’t.”
Meanwhile, as a test to see how “easy” it is to contact Reid with a tidbit, try a call to his Washington office at (202) 224-3542.
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