Politics

Harry Reid attacks The Daily Caller over prostitutes’ allegations against Sen. Bob Menendez [VIDEO]

Nicholas Ballasy Senior Video Reporter
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid lashed out at The Daily Caller on Tuesday for running a series of stories since November containing allegations that Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez slept with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic.

“I always consider the source,” Reid said, referring to TheDC, “and all anyone here has to look at is the source where this comes from. It’s — it’s a source that has brought up a lot of non-issues.”

Reid was asked if the allegations against Menendez should be investigated, and the existence of an FBI investigation confirmed, before Menendez takes over as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. (RELATED: Emails show FBI investigating Sen. Bob Menendez for sleeping with underage Dominican prostitutes)

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry, the committee’s current chairman, was confirmed Tuesday afternoon as the next U.S. Secretary of State.

Reid’s comment came during a press conference on Capitol Hill.

“I’ve told you how I feel about the source of this stuff. It’s really very, very typical for the source,” he added, again talking about TheDC.

Reached for comment, Reid’s office confirmed that the majority leader was addressing The Daily Caller.

Reid’s spokesman also complained about TheDC’s treatment, in a playful video, of a spokesman for New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer who had left a voicemail message complaining about a news headline referring to his boss as a “media whore.” (RELATED VIDEO: Senate spokesman vs. TheDC)

TheDC reported Friday on documents that indicate the FBI has opened an inquiry into Sen. Menendez’s trips to the Dominican Republic. Those documents also contain a purported testimonial of a 19-year-old Dominican woman who claims she slept with Menendez when she was 16.

Previously, two women, both over 18, said during videotaped interviews with TheDC that they were paid for sex with Menendez at a posh Dominican resort during Easter weekend in 2012. (RELATED VIDEO: Women say Sen. Bob Menendez paid them for sex in the Dominican Republic)

Additional confirmation came from a Dominican government official, who told TheDC that Menendez frequents “sex, hookers and drinking” parties in the Caribbean nation.

Menendez called the allegations “fallacious” on Monday, but declined to address them specifically. If they are true, Menendez would also face questions from the Senate Ethics committee over his apparent failure to report gifts, in the form of free travel, from wealthy donor Salomon Melgen, a Miami eye doctor.

David Martosko contributed reporting.

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