The Senate’s code of conduct stipulates that a senator may not “permit any compensation to accrue to his beneficial interest” as a result of “influence improperly exerted from his position.” It prohibits petitioning executive branch agencies for financial benefit for the benefit of immediate family.
Cause of Action accuses Mr. Reid of attempting to influence the Obama administration to overrule career bureaucrats at the Department of Homeland Security to “expedite” visa applications for nearly two-dozen foreign nationals who were investors in a Nevada casino. Mr. Reid’s son, Rory, was a lawyer for the casino.
The facts are clear enough. Career officials at the Department of Homeland Security turned down an expedited EB-5 visa application by the SLS Hotel & Casino in 2012 because agents were concerned over “suspicious financial activity.” Mr. Reid called Alejandro Mayorkas, who was then the director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to ask him to reverse the decision. Mr. Mayorkas cheerfully obliged.
Mr. Reid then changed Senate rules so that Mr. Mayorkas could be promoted to the No. 2 position at the Department of Homeland Security, even though he was the subject of an investigation by the inspector general.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/22/editorial-harry-reids-casino-luck/#ixzz2rEFWuuIU
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