McCain's Ties To Lobbyists: $765,000 Alone From Telecommunications Lobbyists

USA Today has a new article detailing John McCain's ties to telecommunications lobbyists. The article points out one of John McCain's major inconsistencies: the candidates' claims to be against "special interest lobbyists" despite surrounding himself with lobbyists.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has condemned the influence of "special interest lobbyists," yet dozens of lobbyists have political and financial ties to his presidential campaign -- particularly from telecommunications companies, an industry he helps oversee in the Senate.

Of the 66 current or former lobbyists working for the Arizona senator or raising money for his presidential campaign, 23 have lobbied for telecommunications companies in the past decade, Senate lobbying disclosures show.

McCain has netted about $765,000 in political donations from those telecom lobbyists, their spouses, colleagues at their firms and their telecom clients during the past decade, a USA TODAY analysis of campaign-finance records shows.

Read more about how McCain is the "The 'Anti-Lobbyist' Who Works With Lobbyists."

Comments

[birdseye]

05:57 PM on 03/24/2008

750K? Well, that's about the same amount of "donations" (in other places it might be called bribes) that Sen. Dodd cashed in from Hedge Funds during his "Presidential" run....

[Knowledgeseeker]

04:18 PM on 03/24/2008

I know i could not trust this guy

[birdseye]

06:02 PM on 03/24/2008

...after all he was a member of the "Keating Five", lest voters forgot.

[guntotinganglion]

04:02 PM on 03/24/2008

Wow! McCain's a hypocrite! And this is news worthy?

[Grannysue]

03:28 PM on 03/24/2008

And of course that's why him and Bush are saying that the "telecom industry" cannot be held responsible for spying on Americans, because they were doing exactly what McBush told them to do.

[MissingAmerica]

03:06 PM on 03/24/2008

It is evident that electing this old man to the White House would truly be another 4 years of Bush, something neither this nation nor the global community can afford.

[PrdAmerican]

12:39 PM on 03/24/2008

Is this where I am to feign shock and exasperation?

[unscum]

12:39 PM on 03/24/2008

As a Canadian who studied in Britain for a number of years and now lives in California, who knew this country's government would be so corrupt! Geez, my parents are originally from India, a very corrupt country for sure, but at least in India when a politician gets a kick-back they are investigated, usually by the media and then by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation, Indian version of FBI), and subsequently prosecuted, ummmm sometimes. Anyways, you know what I mean.

[birdseye]

06:01 PM on 03/24/2008

Uh, uh unscum, no corruption in Canada? Perhaps you have forgotten the Mulroney/Airbus "situation" ?

[scampy123]

12:06 PM on 03/24/2008

McCain is an old fraud who was locked up in Vietnam for dropping bombs on innocent people.
He has spent the biggest part of his life sucking on the American tax payer.
To quote Groucho, who you gonna beleive, me or your own eyes?

[dax49]

11:53 AM on 03/24/2008

teflon john has been in the telecom's pocket since day 1, the nyt's story was right on the money. that is why fox has been shoving rev. wright down our throat , to change our focus

[vippy]

11:42 AM on 03/24/2008

Lobbyists do our voting for us, so why we even bother to vote unless we change the system.
Don't be surprised if Hillary or McCain get voted in as prez, this way the GOP won't lose power.

[Opus007]

11:53 AM on 03/24/2008

Hillary would be totally out of this race if she wasn't boosted by Republicans. HIllary is as Republican as Joe Lieberman.

[pzdoff]

11:32 AM on 03/24/2008

The crooken bastard is the newest teflon man.....bought and paid for by special interests, AND STILL ahead of Obama and Clinton in the polls. What the F*** gives?

[pbfishtaco]

11:30 AM on 03/24/2008

Heavens to Murgatroid!
USA Today discovered that McBush is in bed with lobbyists!
Who could have anticipated that???
Did this just happen?

We need a barbeque! STAT!!

[PingMama]

12:58 PM on 03/24/2008

LOL.

[globalwarmingisgreat]

11:12 AM on 03/24/2008

McCain's wife looks like an android. Does anyone know anyone who plans on voting for McCain?

[THEDEVILCOMES]

11:36 AM on 03/24/2008

I have too now that Hillary is pulling out all the stops to keep Sen. Obama from the white house. Dem Party will no longer have my surpport as a Black American if it seem he was cheated. Third party is looking pretty good to me as a Black American maybe that where Black Amricans should go if Obama is srewed by the Clinton.

[indalay]

11:55 AM on 03/24/2008

I'm going to vote for Barack Obama for President in November even if I have to write in his name on my ballot. He is the most outstanding candidate I have ever seen.

[enlighteninglad]

11:44 AM on 03/24/2008

Unfortuately yes. A brother of mine as well as my parents. Being in New York, though, it won't mean a thing. There isn't a chance McCain will take New York. We generally don't use e-voting here.

[helonias]

11:00 AM on 03/24/2008

Well he sort of just miss lobbied or miss lied.

[InnocentBystander]

10:50 AM on 03/24/2008

"I did not have sex with that money." Johnny, what happened to that straight talk express? Better get those reporters back for another B-B-Q.