Harry Reid Calls Ethics Complaint Against Him A 'Frivolous Publicity Stunt'

The Nevada Democrat's office responded to a complaint against Reid that his ongoing offensive against the Koch Brothers could be a violation of Senate rules by doubling down on the senator's criticism of the billionaire megadonors. Reid's office also blasted the group, the Tea Party Patriots, as "a publicity-seeking, extremist Tea Party group" beholden to Koch interests.

"We are shocked - shocked! - that a publicity-seeking, extremist Tea Party group which has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Koch brothers' secret bank would attempt a frivolous publicity stunt to distract from the Kochs' efforts to rig the system for billionaires like themselves," Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson told Business Insider in an email.

The Tea Party Patriots accused Reid of improperly mixing his government activity with partisan attacks on David and Charles Koch, who have heavily funded conservative candidates and campaigns. According to Pro Publica, Tea Party Patriots received $200,000 from the Koch-associated Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.

Jentleson said the complaint was part of a larger attempt to "silence" his boss' criticism of unlimited outside spending in elections.

"The shadowy, billionaire Koch brothers are pulling out all the stops to get Senator Reid to stop shining a light on their efforts to buy our democracy, but he will not be silenced," he argued.

The Tea Party Patriots did not immediately respond to a request for comment.