Posted on 02/20/2008 8:34:25 PM PST by bshomoic
TOLEDO, Ohio - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain issued a statement Wednesday night saying he "will not allow a smear campaign" to distract from his campaign as published reports questioned his relationship with a lobbyist.
The Washington Post quoted longtime aide John Weaver, who split with McCain last year, as saying he met with Vicki Iseman and urged her to stay away from McCain. The New York Times suggested an inappropriate relationship between the Arizona senator and Iseman, a Washington lobbyist. The New York Times quoted anonymous aides saying they had confronted McCain and Iseman, urging them to stay away from each other, before his failed presidential campaign in 2000.
Eight years later, McCain is close to securing the GOP nomination. Aides said the senator would address the allegations at a news conference Thursday morning.
The published reports said McCain and Iseman each denied having a romantic relationship, and the paper offered no evidence that they had, saying only that aides worried about the appearance of McCain having close ties to a lobbyist with business before the Senate Commerce Committee on which McCain served.
The story alleges that McCain wrote letters and pushed legislation involving television station ownership that would have benefited Iseman's clients.
In a statement issued by his presidential campaign, McCain spokeswoman 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.
"Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career."
McCain's campaign also issued a lengthy statement insisting that his actions did not benefit any one party or favor any particular interest.
McCain defending his integrity last December, after he was questioned about reports that the Times was investigating allegations of legislative favoritism by the Arizona Republican and that his aides had been trying to dissuade the newspaper from publishing a story.
"I've never done any favors for anybody — lobbyist or special-interest group. That's a clear, 24-year record," he told reporters in Detroit.
McCain and four other senators were accused two decades ago of trying to influence banking regulators on behalf of Charles Keating, a savings and loan financier later convicted of securities fraud. The Senate Ethics Committee said McCain had used "poor judgment" but that his actions "were not improper" and warranted no penalty.
McCain has said that episode helped spur his drive to change campaign finance laws in an attempt to reduce the influence of money in politics.
From what I've heard, McCain will simply make a statement and will not engage reporters in any Q&A.
This is the biggest non-story I've seen in awhile. Where's the issue?
“24-year” record of service to his country? What was he serving during his military career—?
McCain’s camp leaked this themselves didn’t they? To get it out of the way?
The Times gets lower and lower all the time.....as do their profits.
Two words for you Senator: Keating Five.
Mitt and Huckster are tanned ready and rested. And you wondered why Huck stayed in the race?
Well, McCain of the Keating scandal will be hard pressed to convince people he is completely honest. I certainly don’t believe him.
She’s a pretty lady for sure... much better than Monica.
“In a statement issued by his presidential campaign, McCain spokeswoman 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.”
The NY Slimes has standards??? Now that’s a laugh.
The issue is America's most influential newspaper basically writing: "Both of them denied having a romantic relationship, but aides were very worried about how close the two were."
They might as well have written: "Everybody knows these two had an affair, but they stubbornly refuse to admit it."
They only reason they didn't write it that way is because they have good attorneys.
It's an unsourced smear run as a major news item.
Reminds me of the old Nixon refrain “Now some might say my opponent is a Communist, but I’d never make such an accusation myself.”
Fresh from character assassination of Romney and ramming McCain down our throats, The New York Times proceeds to the next utterly predictable phase: character assassination of McCain.
I thought affairs were a personal matter that were nobody else’s business and that we should move on. Remember when “Move On”.org stood for, well, moving on?
So why is a story like this coming out,and where is it coming from?
‘”Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career.”’
Yep, and I’m not even a McCain supporter.
Heck, no put up a pic of Obama’s gay boyfriend LARRY SINCLAIR.
Yeh, where is Larry ???
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