"Senator Reid's office has not been contacted by the Justice Department at all." TESSA HAFEN spokeswoman for Sen. Harry Reid's office
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department is not focusing on Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada as part of an investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a source close to the probe said Wednesday in challenging a published report.
The source, who requested anonymity, said the Justice Department is leading the investigation, which includes other agencies.
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"But the Justice Department does not have a list of lawmakers who are being investigated," the source said.
The Washington Times reported Wednesday that Reid is on a "first tier" of five lawmakers who are the focus of a Justice Department probe of Abramoff.
The newspaper attributed its information to an unnamed source who is working with the Justice Department.
The other lawmakers mentioned included Sens. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Reps. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., and Bob Ney, R-Ohio.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the Washington Times story.
"The department has not and will not discuss individuals who have not been charged," Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra said.
Speaking in Salt Lake City, Reid angrily denied the report.
He criticized the newspaper, which was founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church.
"You have to really stretch things to call it a newspaper," Reid said.
Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen called the Washington Times story "completely baseless."
"Senator Reid's office has not been contacted by the Justice Department at all," Hafen said.
Reid has insisted he did nothing wrong in accepting $61,000 in contributions from Abramoff's associates and American Indian tribe clients from 2001 to 2004.
Abramoff pleaded guilty last week to three felonies including bribing members of Congress and defrauding his American Indian clients.
Stanley Brand, a Washington, D.C., attorney who has represented former Reps. Tony Coelho, D-Calif., Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., and Joseph McDade, R-Pa., in criminal cases, said he does not doubt Democrats will be reviewed by the Justice Department.
"But this story doesn't ring true," Brand said.
The Justice Department "doesn't go around creating first and second tiers" for its investigations, Brand said.
Brand said the story also lacks credibility because it doesn't mention former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, "who already is the subject of two indictments."
"Thirdly, the allegation that people took campaign contributions alone as a basis of prosecution, whether they are Democratic or Republican, I think is far-fetched," Brand said.
Eric Herzik, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, said Reid does not appear to be in any legal trouble because of the contributions from Abramoff clients and colleagues.
But Herzik said Reid may suffer politically.
"I would have given the money back," Herzik said. "As soon as Abramoff pleaded guilty, that money became tainted no matter how you got it."
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who formerly taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said it would not make any difference to the Justice Department if Reid did return the money.
"We'll have to wait and see what happens, but I don't sense (Reid's) name has been in the forefront as much as a lot of other people in this investigation," Tobias said.
During a tour of Republican states this week, Reid has accused the GOP of creating a culture of corruption.
Reid also has objected to being linked to the Abramoff controversy, calling it "a Republican scandal."
The National Republican Senatorial Committee on Wednesday promoted the Washington Times article and criticized Reid.
"For assailing the culture of corruption while he is reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department, Senator Harry Reid receives today's politician award," one Republican committee statement said.
