McCain vs. the New York Times
February 21, 2008
The New York Times has published an article claiming that Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), the likely Republican candidate for president, may have had an affair with a Washington lobbyist. The article cites unnamed former aides to the senator who claim that Vicki Iseman became the subject of concern during McCain’s 2000 presidential bid: “in 1999 she began showing up so frequently in his offices and at campaign events that staff members took notice. One recalled asking, ‘Why is she always around?’” The article, available here, also suggests that Mr. McCain has not lived up to the ethical standards he so strongly promotes.
In response to the article, Mr. McCain’s campaign called it a “hit and run smear campaign.” Jill Hazelbaker, his campaign’s communications director, said, “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” (Reuters).
Mr. McCain himself, along with his wife Cindy, held a press conference this morning to publicly challenge the article. They both denied the allegations made by the article, saying simply, “it’s not true” (AP). Mrs. McCain also said that she was disappointed in the New York Times, while Mr. McCain pointed out that “These allegations are coming out at a very interesting time” (Fox).
Rick Davis, who was McCain’s campaign manager in 2000, also rebuffed the article: “I never had a single instance where this was a major issue in our campaign or any kind of an issue. And the idea that a decade later they have somehow uncovered some kind of a mystery is ridiculous,” adding that the Times “didn’t say that there was anything improper here. They just tried to imply it. They didn’t say he had done anything for this lobbyist or this lobbying firm but they tried to imply it. If they are going to go this kind of route, why don’t they tell us where they got the information?”
