Reid: Kerrey ‘promised nothing’ to run

John Bresnahan, Politico

Sunday, March 11, 2012 | 9:32 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is insisting that he made no promises about seniority or committee assignments to Bob Kerrey as part of Kerrey's decision to jump into the Nebraska Senate race.

Kerrey, who served in the Senate from 1988 to 2000, has said Reid made "important" promises to him before Kerrey got into the Nebraska race, although he declined to provide specific details of what those commitments are. Kerrey's comment has drawn heavy criticism from Republicans.

On Sunday, Reid tried to downplay the issues during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union."

"Anyone that knows Bob Kerrey knows you don't have to make a deal with Bob Kerrey," Reid said. "He's running because he wants to run. He loved the Senate. He's coming back."

"Bob Kerrey and I had conversations not over a few days, but many, many months, and the things we talked about we're between the two of us," Reid added. "But Bob Kerrey was promised nothing."

Reid said he did not offer Kerrey any committee assignments or allow him to invoke his past seniority when considering who gets committee gavels.

Reid also noted that former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who jumped from the GOP to Democrats in 2009, was disappointed when he was not able to use his seniority to grab coveted committee assignments.

"I learned my lesson then," Reid said. "Don't make any promises."