CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: How Did Harry Reid Get Rich? His career in public service has ended up being remarkably lucrative.

Related: House members’ VIP loans from Countrywide excluded from subpoena, report says. “A Democratic committee chairman overrode his own subpoena three years ago in an investigation of former subprime mortgage lender Countrywide to exclude records showing that he, other House members and congressional aides got VIP discounted loans from the company, documents show. The procedure to keep the names secret was devised by Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y. In 2003, the 15-term congressman had two loans processed by Countrywide’s VIP section, which was established to give discounts to favored borrowers.”