Reid doubles down on tax claims

We noted yesterday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told The Huffington Post that what he claimed was a Bain Capital investor had called him to say Mitt Romney didn't pay taxes for 10 years — without saying who told him this, or what basis there was for the claim.

Earlier today, he doubled down on the unsubstantiated claim with reporters in Nevada:

"I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination," Reid said in a telephone call with Nevada reporters. "I have had a number of people tell me that." Asked to elaborate on his sources, Reid declined. "No, that's the best you're going to get from me." "I don't think the burden should be on me," Reid said. "The burden should be on him. He's the one I've alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn't he release his tax returns?"

A Romney spokesman said Reid's charge was baseless and below the belt. "This is further proof that the president's campaign is willing to say whatever it takes to distract from his economic record, no matter how baseless, unfounded or demonstrably false their attacks are," spokesman Mason Harrison said. "President Obama condemned these kinds of negative attacks in 2008, but like many of the promises he made back then, they have turned out to be just more words."

President Obama's deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter, asked about Reid's claims and hits from former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland earlier in the day saying the GOP candidate is "hiding" something from the American people, told CNN's Candy Crowley, "No, we don't have any proof" of wrongdoing.

Yet Reid has done something different than what other Democrats and Obama campaign officials have done — instead of just raising questions about the lack of disclosure, he has accused Romney of doing something specific, which is calling attention away from the GOP hopeful, and toward the nature of the allegation.

Maggie Haberman is senior political reporter for Politico.