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Crime

Indicted Businessman Names Harry Reid as Alleged Recipient of Massive Bribe

Jan. 12, 2013 8:02pm Erica Ritz

Utah Businessman Jeremy Johnson Claims He Bribed Harry Reid to Make Federal Investigation Disappear

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 04: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) rubs his eyes during the counting of the Electorial College votes from the 50 states in the House of Representatives chamber at the U.S. Captiol January 4, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images)

A Utah businessman is rocking both state and national politics after claiming Utah Attorney General John Swallow helped him broker a deal with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make a federal investigation into his company quietly disappear, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Jeremy Johnson was allegedly told that the price would be $600,000, and claims to have made an initial payment of $250,000 when he was slapped with a federal lawsuit. Now he says he wants his money back.

The Salt Lake Tribune points out that Johnson has no way of knowing whether the funds actually made it to Reid, even if he did make a massive payment to Reid’s alleged intermediary.

The Salt Lake Tribune continues, explaining how the bribe supposedly came to be in 2010:

At the time, Johnson was largely known in Utah as a wealthy philanthropist who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to ferry supplies into Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

[...]

Then, with the FTC investigation continuing, Johnson said Swallow suggested Reid could make problems with regulators go away — for a price.

“I said, ‘OK, what do I need to do?’ He’s like, ‘OK, it costs money,’ ” Johnson said, who claimed Swallow was adamant he make a deal.

“I think he told me, ‘Richard Rawle has a connection with Harry Reid,’ ” Johnson said.

He said Swallow at first wanted $2 million to enlist Reid’s help. But [his company] I Works was no longer profitable and he did not have the money, Johnson said, so they eventually agreed on $300,000 upfront and $300,000 later.

Swallow put Johnson in contact with Rawle, whose company has operations in Nevada…

Rawle, who died of cancer last month, had contributed to Reid’s 2010 re-election bid and later bragged to Johnson that the Nevada Democrat helped him delay new federal payday-loan regulations, Johnson said.

On Sept. 29, 2010, Swallow sent an email to Johnson with the subject line “Mtg. with Harry Reid’s contact.”

“Richard [Rawle] is traveling to LV tomorrow and will be able to contact this person, who he has a very good relationship with. He needs a brief narrative of what is going on and what you want to happen. I don’t know the cost, but it probably won’t be cheap.”

On Oct. 7, Johnson emailed Rawle, insisting there was “rock solid proof” the FTC allegations against I Works were false. “We will do whatever it take[s] to get Senator Reid on our side and hopefully you can help make it happen. Let me know.”

Johnson spent 96 days in jail and has released a number of emails and statements seemingly corroborating parts of his story. However, Swallow insists that Johnson is making “false and defamatory accusations” and that any role he may have played was merely for lobbying purposes.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Swallow stated. “As long as I’m not interfering with a government agency as a government official, there’s nothing wrong with me being involved.”

But Johnson told a judge he’s felt guilty about the situation from the start: “The truth is the worst thing I think I’ve done was I paid money knowing it was going to influence Harry Reid…So I’ve felt all along that I’ve committed bribery of some sort there.”

Though the connection to Reid remains unverified, some are remembering how Reid claimed on the Senate floor that Mitt Romney hadn’t paid his taxes for ten years based on far less evidence.

A Las Vegas Review-Journal blog jokes about how Reid might address the situation, if looking in from the outside:

I have a “source” that says that Harry Reid takes bribes all the time. In fact, if you want anything done out of his office, you must come with a suitcase of cash just to get an audience. That’s how he’s gotten so rich on a senator’s salary. He stashes his money in an offshore bank account. And, as a sidebar for Salt Lake church execs, he hasn’t tithed on that bribe money.

Senator Harry Reid’s office has declined to comment.

Click here to read the entire Salt Lake Tribune article.

This post has been updated.

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Comments (324)

DIR
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 7:36pm
@CONSERVATIVE DAN

People have been trying to flush the Harry ‘turd’ for years! He’s a proverbial Yule log that’s stopped up the toilet and has been fouling the senate floor for ever. The only way to get rid of Nasty Harry is with a hasmat team, a dozer, a truck to haul him off and some tar and feathers for good measure. If you are a part of the hasmat team you may want to equip yourself with industrial strengh Fabreeze

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mamasteed
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 7:23pm
I just read the article about Harry Reid and I don’t see why the Blaze used the picture you did. It has nothing to do with the story and I really thought you want to be a different kind of News people! Please, don’t do what the World does, speak and show TRUTH!

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bumpkin
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 6:53pm
Sounds to me like Reid is trying to raise more money for his politicking… through extortion. Out of the blue (Reid’s blue?) a federal investigation of JJ’ philanthropic business jumps into view, and some ‘insider’ says, “for a price, Reid can make it go away.” How much would you like to bet that this isn’t the first extortion that Reid has pulled against a rich man? Seems to me like there are at least TWO camps filled with the wealthy- I can see it now: 1. Those who, through previous extortions have learned their lesson and play ball with Reid and Co- endorsing him and ‘happily’ donating to Reid’s campaigns so the P. M.(see below) wont just pass some stupid legislation that will put them out of business, -or worse, (–OK…P.M.=the Political Mafia, of which B.O. is a player, too; they basically ALL are, at least to some degree, if they are political veterans.) and 2.The ‘other camp’- those who are future targets, who WILL learn to play ball with the political mafia, if they value their businesses, their families, and their life. I suspect that it is an attack against “the other camp” that had the LIC and PM pass legislation that they have to give over half their income to the P.M. The ONLY way to stop these sons of satan (and daughters, too- think Nancy) is for those who are attacked or approached by these thugs to Shout it to the rooftops- risking their lives and land for the cause. Hey. Some people just will refuse to be extorted! LIC= Liar

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nighttrainno9
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 6:38pm
Can we hang the bastard now?? It’s way past time.

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lorrydriver
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 6:35pm
Come on now! Let’s not call him dirty Harry because it might tarnish the Clint Eastwood movies. Filthy Harry or piece of **** Harry or something like that. I don’t want to forever remember that sack of garbage when ever I sit down to one of those old movies.

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alinskythis
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 5:58pm
The felonies – and distractions – are piling up.

What will be done about them?

Fast and Furious. Impeachment material.

Benghazi. Impeachment material.

Mass election voter fraud. Impeachment material.

What is this?

The Lord of the Freaking Flies???

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Larry E
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 5:33pm
I can’t believe this! Well, I can believe Harry would take a bribe, but not that it would be reported. This birdnecked little git who thinks he’s such hot stuff needs staked out in the NV desert some place.

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poppop47
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 5:26pm
Whether it is being Anti-America, garnering illegal alien votes in his home state and city to get elected,Anti second amendment rights or out and out trying to destroy The Bill of Rights and our U.S. Constitution and if he could, remove all the words and what they stood for in our Declaration of Independence, he is what you find on the bottom of your shoe if you step in what was deposited on the ground by a sick Jackass that was dying!!There is a lot of these types of leeches in our Federal goverment and governments of our cities and towns!! I don’t wish them harm, I just don’t wish them anything good either!!

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daxbrady
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 5:16pm
He’s a democrat, so corruption is expected and will be overlooked.

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tolerence
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 5:03pm
Maybe someone allready pointed it out, but about the 11th sentence down in the story column,it says “Johnson said Swallow”…get it?
then roughly about the 15th sentence down,it says,Johnson said,”He said swallow”…get it?
then about the 19th sentence down,it says, “Swallow put Johnson”…NOT MAKING THIS UP!…SOUNDS LIKE A HARRY & JOHNSON SCANDEL!!!

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ImNotaWitch
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 5:03pm
It’s about time the truth about this pterydactyl came out!

Bravo!

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kristieswisher
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:54pm
Everyone knows Harry Reid is dirty…shame on the mormon church for not caring enough to investigate him and take the trash out for the record…and OFF the records.

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HI_Don
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:51pm
Reid has to be on the take to a number of people. You cant go from a lower to middle income nobody – to having a net worth of 1-2 Million with your only job being fairly low paying politician in the time he did exactly that (from local politician to his first years as Senator.) Then go from a net worth of about 2 million to well over 10 million in less than four years, at the exact same time he took to ram the Health Care Bill down our throats, on his Senator’s salary supposedly. Gee, how to you more than triple your net worth and be the key figure to get Obama’s Health Care bill crammed through a process that should have stopped it? Wonder if he is on the take? My guess – gotta be. Audit this crook – where does his money come from? Remember he accused Romney of not paying taxes for 10 years? These guys always love to accuse a good guy of stuff they know is not true with the real reason that they have done worse and wish to feel better through association that “Everybody” must do what they do.

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txs_sxs
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:49pm
Of course Reid did something illegal. He’s a politican after all. I’m sure this is “baby stuff” compared to what he’s done in his life.

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Catfish
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:47pm
I hope Glenn will keep this on the front page till something is done about this, He must go to jail, they are not above the Law. Some one must prosecute him for this , there may be a few that are up there that are not corrupt , but they just got there , but the ones that have been there for years are all guilty and needs to out of there. I burns me up that they cannot pass a bill if it dont have tons of pork in it and they all get kick backs from the pork, and I hope the Muslim is never sworn in.

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Catfish
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:38pm
Should he not go to jail for this, We will hear about it for a day or two and then it will just go away, who can we get to prosecute him., HE MUST GO TO JAIL but he will pay someone off to say he never recieved any money or was not involved in it. he is a criminal , MUST GO TO JAIL, and every darn one of them needs to be investageted they are all guilty, they are the most corrupt people in this nation.( Glenn will you not let this die, keep it on the front page till something is done.)

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gunblind
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:29pm
Is this a suprise to anyone? How about Nancy Pelosie, Eric Holder and others. How do you think they got so rich?

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TrueColours
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:28pm
Quickly get Jeremy Johnson armed guards! This could be something big here.

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chershaw8
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:25pm
Ha ha ha ha haha ha ha…. and so forth.

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GUYFROMMAINE
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:14pm
What? Reid might have taken a bribe? NOOOOOOOO!!! What is even worse for those of us who love the America of the Founding Fathers is the fact that Reid and the many politicians like him were even elected to begin with. Get him out of the Senate? The “people” put him in. That is the more serious crime.

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Teaparty_Grammy
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:08pm
Despite all the caterwauling by the Democrats and the Liar-In-Chief about the obstructionist Republicans being the Party of No, Harry Reid is the primary reason for Congressional dysfunction–because he rat-holes any bill the Republican House sends to the Senate and will not allow them to go to the Senate for a vote. It does not matter HOW many bills the Republican House passes trying to fix things, if that POS Harry Reid will not let them go the Senate floor for debate and vote, nothing will come up of, and nothing will change. Between him and Obama, they are running a virtual DICTATORSHIP of our government.

He and his partner in crime, Obama, can stop everybody from doing anything to save the economy/country, while continuously blaming the Republicans for “obstructing”. If the IDIOTS out in sheeple-land had any idea how the Congress worked, Harry Reid could not get away with this blatant abuse of power. But Obama and Reid bank on the ignorance of the Sheeple to allow them to get away with their BS. Talk about your low-information voters–what we have is a nation of IDIOT SHEEP who will believe ANY BS that comes out of Washington and the mainstream media.

Throw that bum Harry Reid out in the street, and Congress might actually DO something!

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ICEDRAGONNITE
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:05pm
This is just the tip of Reids carrying the water for this Administration.
Here is another.
The Whore of Babylon 1/13/2013
Have you asked why have all the Governments of the world jumped on this mohommedist program of trying to water down the societies of the east and west?
I have, and found it is as simple as the nose on your face. The Whore of Babylon!

Ok, That sounds simple enough, but how and where? What has permeated our societies since WWI? Central banking for one! But not just Central banking, what else? Manipulation of the world currencies? How is this done? There are two systems that currency uses to function. One, the Austrian pay as you go plan. Buy nothing you cannot afford. Clean and understandable. The other is the Keynesian system, keep all economics slightly unbalanced so manipulation can be achieved through inflation and economic bubbles. Therefore, borrow monies at a time when $1.00 is $1.00 wait a few years and pay that $1.00 back with an inflated dollar that is only worth .25 cents. Now your money looks like it is 75% greater. So, credit is charged at a rate to offset this disparity and banks continue to rake in the bucks. We still have an additional problem to deal with – Real Property. During the 1900’s, a gradual transformation took place in the writing of real estate deeds. What was once your castle and totally inviolate to anyone, became a piece of property to flip and make a buck. No longer a home, but an investment. Don

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Gladileftcalifornia
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:02pm
Imagine that…Reid involved in a bribe.

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kanawah
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 4:01pm
More republican BS.
Just like the bogus impeachment of Clinton, and the swift boat attack on Kerry.

Massive REPUBLICAN LIES.

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- Desertcatn
  Posted on January 14, 2013 at 1:53pm
  Get out of here, Harry!
  
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Desertcatn
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 3:57pm
http://www.westernjournalism.com/exclusive-investigative-reports/harry-reids-dirty-laundry/

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