Nevada Campaign Donor With Ties to Harry Reid Indicted

A Nevada lobbyist with long-term ties to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has been indicted on charges of illegal campaign contributions to a member of Congress and lying to the FBI. The member of Congress wasn’t named but sources tell The Washington Post that it was Reid.

Reid has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case involving lobbyist and lawyer Harvey Whittemore.

“At no time did Senator Reid have any knowledge that Mr. Whittemore was engaging in these alleged unlawful contributions to Senator Reid or any elected official,” Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman told the Post.

Justice Department officials charge, “Whittemore allegedly used his family members and employees as conduits to make illegal contributions to the campaign committee of an elected member of Congress.”

The 55-year-old Whittemore, whose friendship with Reid goes back decades, was also charged by a grand jury with causing false statements to be made to the Federal Election Commission, the Post reported.