On Jack Abramoff, John McCain Drives Straight Talk Express Into Double Talk Detour

Maybe it was the strain of doing three debates in five days, or the pressure of facing a second must-win primary in a week, but last night John McCain took his "do anything to win" campaign mentality to a new low. During last night's debate in South Carolina, McCain tried to position himself as an agent of change by bragging about Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff being in prison and claiming that "he will tell you, and his lobbyist cronies, of the change I made" in Washington. [Fox News Debate, 1/10/08]

But John McCain isn't kidding anyone. Not only did he flat out refuse to investigate any of his fellow members of Congress when his Senate committee investigated Abramoff, he refused to back the kind of lobbying reform that could prevent future lobbying scandals--choosing instead to advance his presidential campaign by cozying up to K Street lobbyists. McCain even chose a top crony of indicted former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay as his first campaign manager.

"Campaign McCain is desperately trying to revive his maverick image by pretending to have fought the Republican culture of corruption, but the real John McCain turned a blind eye to his corrupt colleagues and stood in the way of real reform," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. "The straight talk express' latest double talk detour shows that the new John McCain is a hollow shell of the John McCain Michigan voters used to know, and a powerful reminder that a vote for John McCain is a vote for a third Bush term on everything from the economy to ethics reform."

Campaign McCain's REAL Record on Corruption,
Lobbying Reform

REFUSING TO INVESTIGATE COLLEAGUES

• McCain Acknowledged That Some Legislators Had Committed "Wrongdoing," But Refused To Investigate. Asked if he believed that some legislators had committed a crime related the Abramoff scandal, Senator McCain said "There's strong evidence that there was significant wrongdoing, but I'm not a judge or jury," and refused to investigate his colleagues in Congress, saying "I will not, because I'm a chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee. This was brought to our--this whole thing started--was brought to us--attention by some disgruntled tribal council members in a small tribe in Louisiana, and we took it as far as we thought was our responsibility, which is where the money ends up." [NBC, Meet the Press, 12/4/05]

REJECTING LOBBYING REFORM

• McCain Was Soft On Lobby Reform While Strengthening K Street Fundraising Efforts. "McCain's usual allies say he could have done more to strengthen what they consider a generally disappointing [lobbying] reform bill. At the same time, lobbyists say that McCain has been reaching out to K Street to strengthen his national fundraising network. While McCain's efforts to court Bush contributors around the country have been reported, his efforts inside the Beltway have been overlooked." [The Hill, 3/8/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/06]
• McCain Rejected More Robust Lobbying Reform Bill. When Senator Feingold asked McCain to support a bill with "more robust disclosure of lobbyists' activities," McCain "had considered the idea, but viewed it as 'too onerous' on the lobbying community." [San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/06]
• McCain Voted Against Bipartisan Lobbying Reform Bill. McCain voted against the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2006, which passed 92-8. [109th Congress, S. 2349, Vote #82, 3/29/06]

FLIP-FLOPPING ON GRASSROOTS LOBBYING BILL

• McCain Flip-Flopped On Grassroots Lobbying Reform. "Senator John McCain has told conservative activists that he will vote to strip a key provision on grassroots lobbying from the reform package he previously supported. The provision would require grassroots organizations to report on their fundraising activities and is strongly opposed by groups such as the National Right to Life Committee, Gun Owners of America, and the American Civil Liberties Union. While grassroots groups on both sides of the political spectrum oppose the proposal, social conservative leaders such as Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, who broadcasts a radio program to hundreds of thousands of evangelical Christians, have been its most vehement critics. McCain sponsored legislation last Congress that included an even broader requirement for grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. But now he will vote to defeat a similar measure." [The Hill, 1/18/07]

MCCAIN'S FIRST CAMPAIGN MANAGER A TOP TOM DELAY CRONY

• McCain Named Terry Nelson Campaign Manager Said He Had No Qualms about Nelson's Ethics. Senator McCain named Terry Nelson as his campaign manager in 2006. Nelson is "known for hardball tactics that don't exactly square with [McCain's] white-knight image," such as the racist ad aired against Ford Jr., involvement in the Delay indictment and the New Hampshire phone jamming scandal; Dick Polman noted that "in view of [Nelson's] hardball track record, his presence at McCain's side is sufficient proof that the 'maverick' label no longer applies." In 2006, it was reported that McCain still "had no qualms about Nelson's ethics," even after they were revealed to him. In fact, McCain called Nelson "a fine man" and defended hiring him, saying, "he was very helpful to President Bush and he is very well regarded." [Time, 12/10/06; "Dick Polman's American Debate," dickpolman.blogspot.com, 12/7/06; Union Leader, 12/8/06; Cox News Service, 4/3/06]
• McCain Strategist Terry Nelson Served As Middleman in Delay TRMPAC Money Laundering Scheme, Named in Indictment and Had to Testify. Before the 2002 election, John Colyandro, the executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority, sent a blank check to Jim Ellis. According to the indictment, Ellis, who ran Delay's Americans for a Republican Majority, negotiated an exchange of corporate money for campaign donations with Terry Nelson, RNC Political Director. As a result, TRMPAC contributed $190,000 to the Republican National State Elections Committee on September 20, 2002 - a contribution that included corporate money. Within two weeks, the RNSEC contributed the same amount back to seven Texas legislative candidates that were TRMPAC targets. Nelson testified to the grand jury investigating the Delay scandal in March of 2004. [Austin American-Statesman, 9/14/05; Travis County District Court Bill of Indictment, Thomas Dale DeLay, 9/28/05; CQ Weekly, 3/20/2004; San Antonio Express-News, 3/15/2004; Austin American-Statesman, 2/26/2004; FEC,4/8/2004; Texas Ethics Commission, 4/8/2004; AP, 3/20/04; Houston Chronicle, 10/15/05]

HIRING MORE LOBBYISTS ON PAYROLL THAN ANY OTHER CAMPAIGN

• McCain's Campaign Has More Lobbyists On Board, 32, Than Any Other. "As a presidential candidate this year, McCain has found himself assiduously courting both lobbyists and their wealthy clients, offering them private audiences as part of his fundraising...a recent study by the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute and the liberal advocacy group Public Citizen found that McCain has more lobbyists raising funds for his presidential bid than do any of his rivals. He has 32 "bundlers" of donations who are lobbyists." [Washington Post, 12/31/07]