NY Times kopplar ihop McCain med en kvinnlig lobbyist. Vidare skriver tidningen att etikreformer och korruptionsbekämpning som tidigare sågs som hans styrka nu kan bli hans fall genom att han själv verkar ha influerats av flera lobbyister. Den kvinnliga lobbyisten heter Vicki Iseman och är 40 år. McCain är 71 år gammal.
I den långa artikeln går man igenom hans kopplingar till olika lobbyister. McCains senatskontor drivs numera tex av en fd lobbyist inom telecom industrin. Under sena 90-talet påstår tidningen också att McCain jobbat hårt för lagändringar som kunder till denna kvinnliga lobbyist ville få igenom.
A champion of deregulation, Mr. McCain wrote letters in 1998 and 1999 to the Federal Communications Commission urging it to uphold marketing agreements allowing a television company to control two stations in the same city, a crucial issue for Glencairn Ltd., one of Ms. Iseman’s clients. He introduced a bill to create tax incentives for minority ownership of stations; Ms. Iseman represented several businesses seeking such a program. And he twice tried to advance legislation that would permit a company to control television stations in overlapping markets, an important issue for Paxson [another Iseman client].
Nyheten har spritt sig stort till andra medier under morgontimmarna i USA. McCains kampanj har tillbakavisat anklagelserna intensivt.
“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.”
[tags]usa, usa-valet, vicki iseman, john mccain[/tags] svd