The Washington Free Beacon details a new scandal surrounding Harry Reid:
Corporate donors to a green energy nonprofit operated by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D., Nev.) former staffers and a current campaign operative have received billions of dollars in federal loan guarantees and grant money as a result of Reid’s advocacy.
Fulcrum Bioenergy began contributing to the Clean Energy Project (CEP) in 2013. One year later, the Nevada Democrat steered tens of millions of dollars in federal grant money to the California biofuel company.
Reid’s funneling of federal money to this company has raised some eyebrows, according to the Free Beacon:
Anti-cronyism watchdogs were skeptical of the benefits of Reid’s dealings.
“Of course these businesses viewed their donations as investments,” said William Yeatman, a senior fellow and energy policy expert at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
“The entire green energy industry—every bit of it—is dependent on political favoritism,” Yeatman said in an email. “And with whom better to curry favor than the Senate Majority Leader—especially during the stimulus era, a period during which oversight was shortchanged for speed of disbursement.”
You can read the full story about Reid’s new controversy here.
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UPDATE: The Free Beacon has more news on this story. They report that Harry Reid helped two lawyers, who donated to his aides’ foundation, get federal jobs:
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) recommended for powerful federal posts … partners at a Nevada-based firm that donates to a nonprofit run by his current and former aides.
Reid shepherded two judicial nominations through the Senate in 2012 and 2013 for attorneys at the firm of McDonald Carano Wilson. Both were confirmed after Reid fought on their behalf.
How much deeper does the rabbit hole go?