CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In one of the toughest speeches of the Democratic National Convention’s first night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized Republicans and again implied that their party’s nominee, Mitt Romney, skipped out on paying taxes.

The Nevada Democrat accused the GOP as a whole of being under the thumb of Rush Limbaugh and Grover Norquist and called the tea party a group of “extremists and ideologues.”

He went on to describe Romney as a “beneficiary” of a “rigged game.”

“Never in modern American history has a presidential candidate tried so hard to hide himself from the people he hopes to serve,” Reid said. “When you look at the one tax return he has released, it’s obvious why.”

He then noted Romney’s tax rate and use of overseas bank accounts.

We can only imagine what new secrets would be revealed if he showed the American people a dozen years of tax returns like his father did,” Reid added.

“Mitt Romney says we should take his word that he paid his fair share. His words? His word? Trust comes from transparency,” Reid said. “And Mitt Romney comes up short on both.”

A month ago, Reid began beating the drum on the topic of Romney and tax releases. He accused Romney of not releasing taxes in order to hide the fact that he has never paid taxes. Reid was criticized for making such accusations and not offering proof or a source.