ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. We strive to foster change through exposing exploitation of the weak by the strong and the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them.
Sen. John McCain has cast himself as a crusader against special interests and Washington's lobbying culture, but his 2008 presidential campaign has been beset by ethics concerns about his ties to lobbyists.
McCain first came under fire in late February, when The New York Times published a story suggesting that McCain's relationship with a female lobbyist was too close for comfort for some staffers. The story was widely criticized, but it offered a glimpse into McCain's lobbyist-ridden campaign staff.
The next month, EADS, a European company, won a $35 billion Pentagon contract because McCain had pushed the Pentagon to open the bidding process to it. Critics questioned whether the three former EADS lobbyists on his staff had influenced that decision.
Then, on May 10, Newsweek reported that McCain's pick to run the 2008 Republican Convention, the CEO of lobbying firm DCI Group, had lobbied for Burma's military junta in 2002. He promptly resigned, as did one of McCain's eleven regional campaign managers who had been the chief lobbyist at DCI Group and also lobbied for Burma.
On May 15, McCain's campaign manager issued a new set of rules requiring registered lobbyists to either resign from the campaign or sever ties with outside lobbying firms and political groups. Even part-time volunteers were bound to disclose any lobbying work. The new guidelines resulted in the resignation or dismissal of several top staffers.
But on May 27, MSNBC reported that McCain's national campaign co-chair and key economic advisor, ex-Sen. Phil Gramm, had lobbied Congress for UBS about the mortgage crisis at the same time he had been helping McCain craft his housing policy. UBS deregistered Gramm on April 18, but he remained a vice president. And by that point McCain had already rolled out much of that policy. Gramm quit on July 18.
Then in August, after the conflict between Russia and Georgia broke out, the Wall Street Journal noted that McCain's top foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, had been a lobbyist for Georgia up until March. The Washington Post later reported that Scheunemann had prepped McCain for an April phone call with the Georgian president on the same day that the lobbyist's firm extended its contract with Georgia. McCain has been a staunch defender of Georgia throughout the crisis.
Read a fuller description of McCain's past and current campaign staffers with ties to the lobbying industry and take a look at Muckety's John McCain Relationship Map. The Arizona Republic has also compiled a list of McCain's staffers with ties to the lobbying industry.
McCain Insider Allegedly Had Ties to NRA Spy Op
- ABC, August 19
McCain Defends Adviser’s Lobbying Work
- USA Today, August 18
Lobbying Filings Detail McCain Aide’s Past Work for Georgia
- TPMmuckraker, August 15
In Split Role, McCain Adviser Is Sometimes a Lobbyist
- New York Times, August 14
Did McCain Adviser Engineer Nobel Nomination of Georgian Prez?
- Think Progress, August 13
Aide Advised McCain While His Firm Lobbied for Georgia
- Washington Post, August 13
McCain Adviser Lobbied for Company With Big Biz in Cuba
- McClatchy, August 12
McCain Adviser Lobbied for Georgia
- Wall Street Journal ($), August 11
DHL Deal Gone Sour Haunts McCain in Ohio
- Los Angeles Times, August 8
McCain Calls for Probe of Company He Once Aided
- AP, August 8
High-Ranking McCain Campaign Officials Lobbied For Hess
- Talking Points Memo, August 7
McCain Had a Role in ‘03 DHL Deal That Now Threatens Ohio Jobs
- Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 6
Did McCain’s Foreign-Policy Adviser Profit From Iraq War?
- Salon, August 1
McCain’s Top Foreign Policy Adviser Flubbed Iraq Strategy
- TPMmuckraker, July 29
McCain Adviser Lobbied for Stephen Payne
- AP, July 22
A Fifth of McCain’s Top Fundraisers Have Lobbyist Ties
- The New York Times, July 16
McCain Aide: Attorney General Scandal ‘Nonsense’
- Chicago Tribune, July 9
McCain Heads to Colombia, Where Adviser Has Ties
- The New York Times, July 1
For Top McCain Adviser, Relationship with Candidate Has Been a Lucrative Commodity
- Washington Post, June 26
McCain’s Boeing Battle Boomerangs
- Newsweek, June 23
Scuttled Tanker Deal Could Bring Back McCain Lobbyist Questions
- Washington Independent, June 19
McCain Still Hasn’t Updated Adviser List
- TPMmuckraker, June 18
Non-Profit With McCain Ties Bent Rules While Supporting His Agenda, Raising Money
- Chicago Tribune, June 17
Lawmakers Seek To Close Foreign Lobbyist Loopholes
- The New York Times, June 12
Obama, McCain Enlist Former Lobbyists in VP Search
- Washington Times, June 11
McCain’s Russia Policy Shaped By Advisor With Anti-Russia Lobbying Past
- Salon, June 9
McCain Camp: Advisor Linked To Abramoff No Longer With Campaign
- Talking Points Memo, June 9
McCain Adviser Phil Gramm in the News Again: Did His Bank Help Wealthy Clients Evade Taxes?
- Mother Jones, June 6
McCain Campaign Staffed By Telecom Immunity Lobbyists
- Electronic Frontier Foundation, June 5
Ex-Sen. Gramm’s Actions in Office Could Cause Trouble For McCain
- Texas Observer (via Obsidian Wings), June 3
McCain Campaign Called Non-Profit For Help Defending Tanker Deal
- Washington Post, June 2
Senior McCain Aides Meet With 70 GOP Lobbyists
- Politico, May 30
McCain’s Economics Advisor Had a Hand in the Subprime Meltdown
- Mother Jones, May 29
McCain Economic Policy Shaped By Lobbyist
- MSNBC, May 28
McCain Campaign Manager Has Ties To Companies Under Scrutiny
- War and Piece , May 27
McCain Campaign Manager, Former Lobbyists, Oversees New Lobbyist Restrictions
- The New York Times, May 27
McCain Advisor Ousted For Conflict of Interest
- Politico, May 16
McCain’s Lingering Connections to Burma Lobbyists
- Mother Jones, May 15
McCain Consultant Is Tied to Putin-Backed Ukraine Party
- The Wall Street Journal, May 14
Top McCain Advisor Lobbied For Chalabi, Dictators
- Obsidian Wings, May 13
McCain’s Pick For GOP Convention Chair Lobbied For Burma
- Newsweek, May 12
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