They are so out to get Harry Reid that they will find anything and try to turn it into a scandal. The AP is really sinking to a new low on this one:

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who has criticized Republican ethics, accepted free ringside tickets to three professional boxing matches from Nevada officials who were trying to influence his federal legislation regulating the sport.

Reid, D-Nev., took the free seats for Las Vegas fights between 2003 and 2005 from the Nevada Athletic Commission as he pressed legislation to increase federal oversight of boxing, including the creation of a government commission.

Reid defended the gifts, saying they would never influence his position on the boxing bill and that he was simply trying to learn how his legislation might affect an important home state industry. “Anyone from Nevada would say I’m glad he is there taking care of the state’s No. 1 businesses,” he told The Associated Press.

So if a Senator accepting tickets to his states largest sporting event is against the rules then how do lobbyists even operate?

Here is the big irony of this. My congressman and the Majority Leader, John Boehner, accepted gifts from Indian Tribes directly related to the Abramoff scandal. For him though this is fine because as he said “he was working for his constituency”. Now the interesting part is that the Indian tribe he accepted gifts from make up 0% of his constituency. So he was accepting gifts from someone out of his district and using those to help affect legislation and that is OK but for Reid to accept gifts from someone in his district that is not OK?

Remember – the Nevada Athletic Commission is a state agency, much like welfare, education, etc. So according to the AP, Senators are not allowed to work for their own states now? Why even have Congress if that is the case?