Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) refused to meet with former Sen. Pete Domenici last week, citing the New Mexico Republican’s bombshell revelation that he secretly fathered a son outside of marriage more than 30 years ago.
Domenici confessed his affair with Michelle Laxalt, daughter of Paul Laxalt, a former Nevada senator and governor of Nevada, in February. The son, Adam Paul Laxalt, now works as an attorney in Nevada. Reid and Domenici became close working in the Senate for over 22 years, but the revelation soured their relations.
“I don’t mention Domenici’s name anymore because of what he did to Michelle Laxalt,” Reid told the Las Vegas Review Journal on Monday, adding that Domenici requested to see him last week. “I wouldn’t let him come and see me. But anyway, that’s another story.”
“I deeply regret this and am very sorry for my behavior,” Domenici, 80, said in a February statement. “I hope New Mexicans will view that my accomplishments for my beloved state outweigh my personal transgression.”
