WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ripped House Speaker John Boehner as a “coward” in private on Thursday — and immediately afterwards described him as a “nice guy” in public.
“He’s a coward,” Reid said of Boehner, referring to his GOP rival’s efforts to preserve subsidies for lawmakers’ health-care coverage, while later backing a House bill to end them.
Reid made the comment at a closed-door meeting of Democratic senators Thursday, Politico reported.
Minutes later, he went before TV cameras with a different assessment.
“I feel positive that John Boehner — who’s basically a nice guy — cannot let this go on,” Reid told reporters.
Reid also apologized on the Senate floor for some of his references to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), whom Democrats view as the real leader of House Republicans.