Still More Lobbyists Leave McCain Camp
EmailTwo more lobbyists have left the McCain presidential campaign over conflict-of-interest issues.
The departures of lobbyists for Saudi Arabia and energy companies brings to five the total number of aides who have had to cut ties with the Republican presidential candidate over their conflicting roles as both influence-peddlers and campaign officials.
Former congressman Tom Loeffler, a national finance co-chairman for Sen. McCain’s White House bid, quit the campaign Sunday after new reports that his firm earned millions representing Saudi Arabia.
Public filings show that as a lobbyist, Loeffler had met with Sen. McCain to "discuss. . . U.S.-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia relations."
Loeffler also represents the European firm EADS, which recently won a $35 billion contract after McCain blocked a similar, scandal-tarred deal with U.S.-based Boeing Co. McCain has denied acting at the behest of lobbyists in the matter.
Eric Burgeson, an energy-industry lobbyist, was reportedly fired from the campaign on Thursday after it instituted a new conflict-of-interest policy.
These farewells mean that at least eight lobbyists have had to sever their ties to either the McCain campaign or to their own firms as a result of press scrutiny or the campaign’s new policy.
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McCain influenced by lobbyists and money? What? Isn’t the sky blue?
Posted by: d.rust | May 19, 2008, 11:59 am 11:59 am
There are several things for which McCain should be criticized, but this isn’t one of them. It is to his credit that he’s trying to keep his campaign staff as “clean” as possible. There is no way that ANY candidate can know everything there is to know about his staff, but when a problem is discovered, it appears McCain is cleaning house wherever necessary.
Posted by: Rhys | May 19, 2008, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm
I’m skeptical about the whole thing. Let’s see McCain call out the Saudis for their murderous duplicity. Then maybe I’ll give him some credit. Otherwise, I assume these folks will pop up in the McCain administration once the election is over (and the voters have been fooled).
Posted by: Bill in Chicago | May 19, 2008, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
It’s true, Rhys, that no candidate can know everything there is to know about the people who work on their staff. Still, accoring to Public Citizen (“White House for Sale”), which tracks the fundraising efforts of all presidential candidates, McCain has 70 lobbyists actively raising funds for his campaign (not to mention those like Charles Black who occupy senior positions on the campaign staff). This is an all-time high and FIVE times as many as those raising money for the Obama Campaign. What’s particularly troublesome is the number of lobbyists who represent foreign governments that work for McCain. His reputation as an independent candidate, not beholden to special interests is not deserved IMHO.
Posted by: Bob in AZ | May 19, 2008, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm
Mccain is a tyrant sellout just like the rest of them. Of course his interest is with Saudi Arabia that’s where the money is. We need to wake up in this country and get rid of all these TRADERS! And all the fools on here saying it’s a good thing that Mccain is cleaning up where are your heads? He is only cleaning house because all this information has recently been focused on. If not he would not have changed a damn thing. Think about 100 years in Iraq. Hope you don’t have any son’s or grandsons anytime soon.
Posted by: chris | May 20, 2008, 12:13 am 12:13 am
Hmmm… Is this a sign how badly the McCain campaign is? He’s raising far less money than Obama. So if he’s not raising more than Obama, this shows how much the American people are trusting the GOP these days if they’re not giving them any money.
Posted by: GWP | May 20, 2008, 8:44 am 8:44 am
@ Bob in AZ -
I’m proud to be among the men and WOMEN on the front line to defeat murderous thugs who employ brutality and terror in the attempt to control the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations in the Middle East. The effort to quash AQAM and other militant terrorist groups will not be easy or quick.
If we cut and run, the murderous thugs will gain strength, cause chaos in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the Middle East. Iran would be emboldened to build the bomb and increase attacks on our interests through its proxies (like Hezbolla). We would witness a rise in attacks on the US, our interests and our allies around the globe. It would only be a matter of time before we would be at war against these thugs again – except next time it would be much more difficult, bloody and costly battle.
It is in our long-term security interest to stay the course in Iraq and Afghanistan to defeat AQAM and other militant terrorists.
One US Presidential candidate understands this. The two other candidates are eager to throw away our hard-earned gains so they can win the election.
Posted by: GI Joe | May 20, 2008, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
The only reason mccain is firing these people is because he got caught. Now that the media is finally focusing on his campaign. Wait till this election is over they will be back at his front door, and he will be taking them back. This is what we are trying to avoid, special interest. And some of you want to vote for this man? WOW! GO FIGURE.
Posted by: IVA | May 22, 2008, 8:11 am 8:11 am
By staying the course in Iraq, we are able to create a recruiting tool for al Qaida and other terrorist groups, along with creating instability in the area so Iran can step into the gap. By not going after the real culprits in the 9/11 attacks and eliminating them, we have now spawned even more terrorist groups and emboldened those like Hezbollah. By continuing our presence in the current religious/civil war, we should be able to keep Cheney’s Haliburton and other war profiteering groups recieving billions in taxpayers money. Of course, the continuation keeps the mideastern countries afraid of what we might do, which will spawn even more nuclear experimentation in these middle eastern countries. World War is a profit center for the Bush administration and its cronies…a hundred years may be not be needed to bankrupt the country both morally and monitarily.
Posted by: sinski | May 22, 2008, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
McCain is not his own man. That has been obvious for some time. He has pandered to the neocons, to the religious republican right, to the NRA, to the Mexican, Canadian and Colombian governments. If this doesn’t bother you, I’m sure it is bothering enough of us. The fact that his staff was littered with so many old republican lobbyists sure doesn’t make me feel like he is worthy of being president. We already know what happens when your president and vice president take their directions from corporate big-wigs, the public be damned. The medicare debacle comes to mind. Republicans had to threaten and bribe fellow republicans to vote their way, or actually the pharmaceutical industries way, because they really knew how bad it was for the elderly.
Posted by: Vicki | July 6, 2008, 7:15 pm 7:15 pm
This should come as no surprise to anyone as Republicans believe there is no such thing as a conflict of interest, and trickle down economies are the only thing better than sex.
Posted by: M H Bookout | July 7, 2008, 10:56 am 10:56 am
Wow, oil lobbyist on the GOP team. I never would have guessed. They have to get McCain elected to keep up the record profits they have made in the past eight years. They also have to assure their corporate tax cuts stick. GOP=Greedy Old People.
Posted by: Alex | July 23, 2008, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm
The rats are leaving the ship !!!!!!
Posted by: spacerook1 | August 8, 2008, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm