As if this election cycle couldn’t get any tenser, retiring Nevada Senator Harry Reid told The Washington Post that Republican Presidential candidate and previous Atlantic City casino boss Donald Trump couldn’t get a gaming license in Nevada if he wanted to.

Trump was actually licensed by the Nevada Gaming Commission in 2004. Reid, 76, served because the chairman of the NGC from 1977 to 1981.

“He couldn’t get a license,” Reid said. “No question about it. Not an opportunity. I'LL not be a professional on a large number of stuff, but I’m knowledgeable on gaming licenses. You can’t have filed 14 bankruptcies, cheat people out of stuff. In gaming circles, if somebody does something bad once, you can’t get a gaming license. He’s done something bad his whole life.”

Trump’s string of bankruptcies and other failures in Atlantic City was widely reported in this year, though Trump claims he made $10 billion from his dealings in Atlantic City.

His character as a casino owner was also referred to as into question last year when a Mother Jones report said that a former employee at considered one of his casinos claimed that once Trump was on the property the black casino workers were hidden from the billionaire’s view.

According to The Washington Post report, Reid eased up on his initial claim about Trump and Las Vegas and said that the NGC wouldn’t allow him to open a casino if he wanted.

In a Sept. 15 press release, Reid clarified his remarks: “I USED TO BE the Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission for four very tumultuous years. I was there after we allowed Nevada operations to visit Atlantic City. So I understand what came about in Atlantic City. He’ll do anything to make a buck for himself. He applied for a license quite a few years ago in Nevada and was a passive owner. He got one. It was just perfunctory. If he applied for a license after what he has done in Atlantic City and what he has done since, he couldn’t get a gaming license in Nevada.”

Trump recently parted ways together with his remaining stake in Atlantic City gambling when the Trump Taj Mahal emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The last New Jersey casino bearing Trump’s name will close in October.

Trump co-owns the luxurious high-rise Trump Hotel in Las Vegas with Phil Ruffin, however the property doesn’t have gambling. In line with a report this year from The Wall Street Journal, the 2 businessmen was considering a Strip gambling facility.

According to the political fact-checking website Snopes.com, there's no evidence to indicate that the Trump Hotel was originally planned as a casino and that Nevada regulators were tired of letting Trump be involved with a full-scale casino.

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