Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to reporter: ‘That’s a clown question, bro’

Ever since 19-year-old Washington Nationals center fielder Bryce Harper brushed off a reporter's query in Toronto about whether he would drink alcohol during his stay in Canada with the quip, "That's a clown question, bro," Beltway political reporters have eagerly waited to see which Washington policymaker would be the first to mimic the great D.C. rookie.

The wait is over. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat with 53 years on Harper, dropped the bro bomb Tuesday on Roll Call reporter Steven Dennis.

"I don't want to answer that question," Reid told Dennis, who asked a question about immigration. "That's a clown question, bro."

While few expected the venerable Reid to be the one to borrow the saying, the scenario makes sense: Harper, a hometown hero from Las Vegas, is a constituent of Reid's. The Nationals star attended the College of Southern Nevada before joining the big leagues, and both he and Reid are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Listen to the audio of Reid's response, courtesy of Todd Zwillich.