Reid's Romney Attack May Have Violated Senate Ethics Rules

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) may have violated the Senate’s ethics rules when his office issued a press release to attack Mitt Romney’s position on taxes.

The Washington Free Beacon notes Reid’s offices issued a press release on Reid’s official website titled “Now Romney Is Being Dishonest About Your Taxes.”

Reid’s press release said:

For months Mitt Romney has been dishonest about his own taxes, but now he is being dishonest about your taxes. When he was asked to answer for his proposal to give huge breaks to millionaires and billionaires while raising taxes on middle-class Americans, Mitt Romney feigned ignorance and tried to disavow his own tax plan.

With so much valid concern over the nation’s deficit, the American people deserve to know the truth about Mitt Romney’s tax plan. Democrats have been clear that we want to cut taxes for American families earning less than $250,000 while asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share as part of a balanced plan to reduce our deficit.

But instead of being honest with Americans about taxes and the deficit, Mitt Romney is peddling snake oil. He seems to think he is entitled to hide the details of his tax plan from the American people, just like he continues to hide his tax returns. But the truth is that Mitt Romney’s math just doesn’t add up without raising taxes on the middle class.

The Free Beacon notes, according to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics:

Senate resources may only be used for official purposes. The General Appropriations statute, 31 U.S.C § 1301, provides that official funds are to be used only for the purposes for which they were appropriated. No official resources may be used to conduct campaign activities.

If the Senate Ethics Committee investigates the issue, it will have to determine if Reid’s comments were directed at discussing tax issues, which would make his comments legal, or used as campaign activity.