Reid: Press 'Should Be Writing' Anonymous Romney Tax Story

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) doubled down and insisted that the anonymous source that allegedly called his office to inform him that Mitt Romney had not paid taxes on ten years of returns was not a figment of his imagination.

In fact, now Reid says he had “a number of people” who told him the same thing but again refused to name any of these alleged sources. And Reid insists the burden is not on him to produce his sources but rather on Romney to disprove the hearsay. 

“I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination,” Reid said in a telephone call with Nevada reporters, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I have had a number of people tell me that.”

When Reporters asked for more details, Reid said, “No, that’s the best you’re going to get from me.”

“I don’t think the burden should be on me,” Reid said, according to the paper. “The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn’t he release his tax returns?”

On Monday, Reid gave the mainstream media the excuse it needed to again badger Mitt Romney about releasing his tax returns.

Even though Reid has not released his tax returns and will not do so, he told The Huffington Post in an interview published Tuesday that an “anonymous” source called his office and said Romney had not paid taxes on ten years worth of tax returns. 

“Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain,” Reid said while refusing to name the alleged former investor with Bain Capital who had tipped him off. “But obviously he can’t release those tax returns. How would it look?” 

Give Reid credit this time around. He openly revealed what his motive had been along, which was to get the mainstream media focused on Romney’s taxes instead of Obama’s economy. 

“What if he has paid no taxes, like I am saying he hasn’t,” Reid said on Wednesday. “What if he has all these moneys as we already know… in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Swiss banks. I mean, gee whiz, rather than ask me why I should do this, that is a story you should be writing.”

Reid’s accusations would not be admissible in a court of law, but he knows the mainstream media does not care about the veracity of his accusations when they hurt a Republican. 

And for those in the mainstream media who did not get the message the first time, Reid, by saying, “this is a story you should be writing,” left nothing for misunderstanding this time.