February 21, 2008
McCain Denies Improper Relationship With Female Lobbyist
John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, denied a New York Times report that hinted at a prior inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist. The article, published online yesterday evening, quoted anonymous former aides who said they had grown concerned that McCain's relationship with Vicki Iseman had become romantic.
"If they were [concerned], they didn't communicate that to me," McCain said, speaking to reporters in Toledo, Ohio, with his wife, Cindy, at his side. "I've seen her on occasion, particularly in receptions and fundraisers and appearances before the [Commerce] Committee. I have many friends in Washington who represent various interests and those who don't, and I consider her a friend."
According to the Times report, Iseman's frequent appearances alongside McCain at events, in his office and on trips -- beginning in 1999 -- moved top advisers to intervene. Aides began "instructing staff members to block the woman's access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him," according to the report.
Throughout the 20-minute press conference, McCain again and again expressed disappointment in the Times report, at one point hinting that the paper might have a vendetta against him.
"I am very disappointed in the New York Times piece. It's not true," McCain said.
After initially denying that he personally appealed to the paper to kill the story, McCain was reminded by a reporter that the article quotes from a conversation he had with Times editor Bill Keller about the report. "I'm sorry. I did have one conversation with them. I called [Keller] up when the investigation started and asked him what was happening." McCain apologized to the press corps, saying he did not intend to mislead them.
The report also contains allegations that McCain acted inappropriately on behalf of interests Iseman represented, and that a nonprofit group he helped start, the Reform Institute, was heavily financed by companies that lobbied the Senate Commerce Committee, which he used to chair.
But there were instances in which McCain acted against the interests of firms Iseman represented. McCain has made ethics and reform a top concern following his involvement in the Keating Five S&L scandal of the late 1980s, for which he was censured.
Bob Bennett, a Democrat and former lawyer for President Clinton who served as counsel on the ethics committee during the Keating Five scandal, denounced the Times report as thinly sourced and "a smear job." Bennett has represented McCain throughout the Times' investigation.
"First, I should tell your listeners, you know, I'm a registered Democrat, so I'm not on his side of a lot of issues. But I investigated John McCain for a year and a half, at least, when I was special counsel to the Senate Ethics Committee in the Keating Five," Bennett said on "Hannity & Colmes" last night. "And if there is one thing I am absolutely confident of, it's John McCain is an honest man. I recommended to the Senate Ethics Committee that he be cut out of the case, that there was no evidence against him, and I think for the New York Times to dig this up just shows that Senator McCain's public statement about this is correct. It's a smear job."
The McCain campaign moved quickly on the report last night. In a statement, communications director Jill Hazelbaker said, "It is a shame that the New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election."
And during the presser, Cindy McCain said, "Obviously I'm very disappointed in the New York Times. More importantly, my children and I not only trust my husband, but know that he would not do anything to not only disappoint our family, but disappoint the people of America. He's a man of great character."
The Times story is probably the most critical report on McCain to come from a major American paper this cycle. Allegations that the Arizona senator has been less than pure on campaign law and ethics were to be expected since so much of his reputation hinges on those platforms. His most vociferous critics on the right oppose the reforms he's backed, particularly the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill of 2002.
The more surprising insinuation of infidelity is another matter. The mainstream media has largely backed off McCain's family life, having perhaps been chastened by the GOP-led smear campaign against him in the 2000 South Carolina primary. Most details of those dirty campaign tactics, which sank his chances in that contest against President Bush, did not surface on a national stage until after that election was decided.
McCain & Co. are already taking the well-worn tack of vilifying the Times, a popular sport among conservatives. But conservatives are exactly the reason why the McCain camp is so concerned about this story, and McCain risks getting slammed on it from both the conservative base and the two Democratic candidates, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama in particular may see ammo here, since McCain has accused him of waffling on public financing in recent days.
On the other hand, the reliance on anonymous sources who were "former aides" or advisers does, and should, invite skepticism. It is a reminder, if anything, that the famously temperamental McCain isn't universally beloved.
"I'm very disappointed, obviously, but we'll move on with the campaign," McCain said. "I'm confident we will move forward, and I'm confident we will continue to compete in the primaries a week from Tuesday and gain the nomination of the party. I'm looking forward to it."
Posted at 10:30 AM
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Campaigns, John McCain, Republicans, WH 2008
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