WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) spars with outgoing House Speaker John Boehner more often than not, but he said Tuesday he'll still miss the aroma of the Ohio Republican's cigarette smoke.
Boehner, known for habitually smoking in his speaker office, announced last week he will resign at the end of October from his post and seat in Congress. Asked about his impending departure, Reid recalled his first meeting with Boehner.
"I'm going to miss the cigarette smoke," Reid told reporters on Tuesday. "To remind everyone: The first meeting I had with John Boehner, I could tell he was nervous, so I said, 'Go ahead and light up,' and he did and he’s been lit every meeting I’ve gone to."
Reid added that he grew up in a family where there was "a lot of smoking going on," so Boehner's smoking didn't phase him.
"I will miss John Boehner for many, many reasons. Number one, I liked him very much, I thought he had a good sense of humor, all that kind of stuff," Reid said.
Boehner's resignation, a result of growing turmoil within the Republican conference, came as a surprise to lawmakers on Capitol Hill and has set off a leadership scramble in the House.