Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada gave an exit interview with a bang, defending making his false claim that Mitt Romney hadn’t paid taxes, expressing pride in his reputation for pork-barrel spending, and saying he only ran for re-election in 2010 to spite his critics.
In an interview with CNN that aired Tuesday, the Nevada Democrat said that he initially did not want to seek a fifth term in 2010, but decided to give it another go in order to stick it to his critics.
“One newspaper here in Nevada kept beating up on me, and I said, ’I am not going to let the bastards beat me,’” Mr. Reid said. “So I decided to run last time.”
Mr. Reid, who has led Senate Democrats since 2005, announced last week that he will retire in 2016 and also endorsed Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York to take his place as leader of Senate Democrats.
Mr. Reid’s retirement announcement came after he suffered exercise injuries that forced him to miss the opening of the new Congress, which saw him demoted from his post as Senate majority leader.
The 75-year-old suffered broken bones in his face and broken ribs, as well as a concussion. He has sported sunglasses on Capitol Hill as he recovers from the injuries.
SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton takes hit in poll; voters don’t trust her
Reflecting on his political career during the CNN interview, Mr. Reid attributed his rise in the Senate to his work ethic, which he said is unmatched.
“I recognized a long time ago that there’s people who can speak a lot better than I can. There are people better looking than I am,” he told CNN. “There are people smarter then I am, but there is nobody that can work harder than I am.”
Mr. Reid defended his decision to launch attacks on the Senate floor against David and Charles Koch, who run the sprawling Koch Industries and use some of their massive wealth to fund a network of libertarian-leaning conservative organizations. “That’s what I felt I had to do,” he said.
He also said “I don’t regret that at all,” when asked about his decision to accuse Mitt Romney of not paying all of his taxes without any proof (telling reporters that it was their job to find the proof) ahead of the 2012 presidential election.
“Romney didn’t win, did he?” Mr. Reid said, when CNN’s Dana Bash suggested he had engaged in McCarthyism.
He also expressed pride in the success he had steering federal dollars back to his home state.
SEE ALSO: John Koskinen: ‘Not the IRS’ of years past
“When U.S. News & World Report would come out every year with its list of biggest ’porkers,’ I was so upset when I wasn’t in the top three,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.