By now we’ve all heard that Harry Reid injured himself fairly severely while working out on New Years Eve day with some rubber exercise bands in what has been described as a “freak accident.”
Of course, Harry Reid also said that America’s southern border is secure and — from the Senate floor, no less — that Mitt Romney hadn’t paid taxes for 12 years.
According to a new report, all of those statements might be equally true.
The new report is based on a phone call to John Hinderaker of Powerline, who said he heard briefly from a man on Monday that Reid’s injuries were caused by a fight with his brother, Larry, on Dec. 31.
Yes, that’s right. Harry and Larry Reid. No word yet on whether they also have two brothers named Darryl.
Hinderaker wrote earlier today about that call and additional conversations he has since had with a man who uses the pseudonym Easton Elliott in his addiction recovery counselling career. Elliott lives in Nevada and attended at least one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Henderson that night with about 20 other people.
“Some time between 10:00 and 11:30 p.m.,” Elliott told Hinderaker, “a man entered the meeting. His appearance was striking: there was blood on his clothing, beginning around his midsection. His left hand was swollen. He appeared to be somewhat intoxicated and was visibly agitated.”
The man introduced himself to the group as “Larry” and said that he had been in a fight with a family member at a get-together.
He apparently blacked out during the fight at some point, coming to mid-altercation while rolling on the ground with the other family member, his clothes now bloody.
He added that now he was concerned that he’d have to deal with the Secret Service.
The group didn’t take that last bit seriously — you hear all kinds of things in AA meetings, as you might imagine — but had little doubt from his appearance that Larry had been in a fight.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, when Elliott read a newspaper article about Larry Reid assaulting a state trooper during a DUI arrest. In the picture that went with the article, Elliott recognized “Larry” of the Secret Service fears.
He had also heard, as we all had by then, of retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s New Years Eve workout injury, and it didn’t take much for Elliott to connect the two events and theorize that Larry and Harry hadn’t exactly been singing “Auld Lang Syne” together to ring in the New Year.
Incidentally, Harry Reid’s home is reportedly not far from the location of the AA meeting in question.
Elliott told Hinderaker he’d be happy to discuss what he knows with a reporter.
“I’m a citizen who believes in God and feels compelled to do the right thing — tell the truth,” he told Hinderaker. “Harry Reid could learn a lesson from me in being truthful.”
Before publishing his story, Hinderaker gave Reid’s office a chance to comment and received three cryptic words in response: “Don’t ever change.”
Well, at least they’re not trying to deny it.
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Friday, April 3rd, 2015
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