Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has denounced Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for his controversial comments supporting GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, calling it a "disingenuous load of crap."
In an interview Thursday with Charles Todd on MSNBC’s
"The Daily Rundown," Reid attacked the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, alleging that their support of Republican candidates was based purely on lining their own pockets,
Politico reported.
But the Nevada Democrat claimed that Adelson, a casino mogul who donated about $150 million to support Republicans in the 2012 presidential election, was not making political contributions for personal gain. And, strangely, Reid also said that Republican Adelson’s "social views" were in synch with the Democrats.
"They are the two richest people in the world, and they are in it to make money," Reid said of industrialists Charles and David Koch. "That is their whole goal here, to add zeroes to their billions."
But he added that is "not the case" with the billionaire Adelson, who has vowed to dedicate himself to
funding a Republican presidential nominee who can win in 2016.
Adelson is the chairman and chief executive of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., which is situated in Reid’s state.
"He’s in it because he has certain ideological views," Reid said. "Now Sheldon Adelson’s social views are in keeping with the Democrats. On choice, on all kinds of things. So, Sheldon Adelson, don’t pick on him. He’s not in it to make money."
Steele appeared on MSNBC’s
"Morning Joe,” hosted by Joe Scarborough, and condemned Reid’s comments.
"The fact that you’ve got Harry Reid, who all of a sudden now doesn’t seem to have a problem with Sheldon Adelson, but before was screaming holy hell about the guy, along with the Koch brothers, is just such a disingenuous load of crap," Steele said.
Adelson
recently launched a large-scale lobbying effort to prevent online gambling, called Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling.
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