http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/harry-reid-marco-rubio-orlando-guns-224279Reid hits Rubio after Orlando attacks
By Burgess Everett
06/13/16 04:39 PM EDT
Harry Reid bluntly attacked Marco Rubio for his votes on gun control legislation, suggesting that the Florida senator's voting record is out of step with his constituents as Rubio mulls whether to run for reelection.
The Senate minority leader said that Rubio's votes against an assault weapons ban, universal background checks and barring people on a terrorism watch list from buying firearms could hurt his reelection chances in Florida, where 49 people were killed in an Orlando nightclub on Sunday morning.
Rubio said on Monday he is considering where he can be "most useful" to the United States in the wake of the attacks in his state.
"How can the junior senator from Florida — who all of a sudden is again interested in running for reelection — how can he speak of running for office again when he voted to let potential terrorists buy assault weapons and explosives? That is how he voted," Reid said on the Senate floor. Rubio had "better reconsider his gun votes. He voted against background checks, assault weapons ban, against limiting the size of ammunition clips."
Reid and Rubio have had a long-running beef over the past year. Reid called on Rubio to resign his Senate seat during the course of the Republican's presidential run, while Rubio has said he's criticized the Senate as an ineffective chamber mainly because of Reid's leadership as majority leader.
Rubio has until June 24 to decide whether he will reverse his decision to give up his Senate seat after one term.
