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

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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]



   Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
http//www.democrats.org. ¶This communication is not authorized by any
candidate or candidate's committee.