WATCH: Chuck Schumer Shares Amusing Story About Harry Reid Buying Him a Pair of Shoes and Month of Netflix at Senator’s Memorial
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) fondly remembered his former colleague and past Democratic majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), in remarks delivered at Reid’s memorial service at the Capitol, including an amusing story about Reid buying him some shoes and a Netflix subscription.
“Few have dedicated their lives to the work of the people quite like Harry did,” said Schumer, “and today, our feelings of both loss and gratitude are immense.”
Schumer commented on Reid’s habit of hanging up the phone abruptly without saying goodbye, and how that caused numerous freshman senators to ask Schumer if Reid was mad at them.
He also described a night when Reid had summoned him to his hotel room during the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, and he had rushed over. Schumer recalled seeing Reid and his wife Landra there in the room, and Reid immediately pulling him into the small hotel bathroom.
“And he lowered his voice and he said, ‘Chuck, I want to take care of something very important,’ he said, and he pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket. And he peeled off four $100 bills. ‘You have been working hard and doing the right things to become leader, but you need to dress the part, go buy some better shoes, for goodness sakes.'”
Schumer said he asked Reid later why he had pulled him into the bathroom for that chat, and the reply was so he wouldn’t embarrass him in front of Landra.
Reid’s “generosity was beyond everything sartorial,” Schumer said, recalling the time the Nevada senator had called up Schumer’s wife and said “I’ve sent you and Chuck the greatest thing. It is a month subscription of Netflix.”
“I didn’t have the heart to tell him that we had subscribed for four years already,” said Schumer, quipping that his friend often acted like he was “allergic to technology.”
Schumer concluded by saying that he “took comfort knowing that Harry is with us in spirit, walking alongside us, as we continue the work that he dedicated himself to for so many years. May God rest his immortal soul and may his memory be a blessing to us all.”
Watch the video above, via CNN.
