McCain attending fundraiser with Abramoff buddy

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Amy Weiss

"Ask Jack Abramoff if I'm an insider in Washington... You'd probably have to go during visiting hours in the prison, and he'll tell you and his lobbyist cronies of the change I made there."

-- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

It appears part of McCain's commitment to making "change" for lobbyists includes hiring them for high-level campaign positions and now shamelessly accepting their fundraising help.

McCain will attend a fundraiser with Abramoff crony Ralph Reed in Atlanta on August 18, despite pressure from watchdog groups. McCain's own Senate committee obtained e-mails clearly linking Reed and Abramoff during its investigation. The Hill reported:

The Senate probe discovered $4 million in payments Reed accepted to run a bogus anti-casino campaign aimed at reducing gambling competition. An Indian tribe with a competing casino made payments to Reed, which according to the Senate investigation's final report, were "passed through" Abramoff's firm, Preston, Gates, Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, and another organization, Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform.

Reed sent an e-mail out, encouraging contacts to attend the fundraiser and donate to McCain:

Attached is a contribution form and a fact sheet that details the event," Reed wrote. "Please complete the contribution form and return it to me at [address], Duluth, GA 30097. If you select (sic) to use your credit card, you may fax the form to me at [number]...

He has a 26-year pro-life voting record and has pledged to appoint conservative judges who will interpret the law, not legislate from the bench.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), acknowledged McCain's work on ethics reform but warned of the importance of maintaining a high standard. In February she said:

Senator McCain is a leader in the Senate on ethics issues and campaign finance reform... That said, when you are a leader on ethics and when you hold yourself up as a prime example of an ethical member of Congress, you have to be particularly careful, because there are going to be people looking at you that much more closely.

Now, CREW is one of the groups criticizing McCain's decision to accept help from Reed. Sloan said Wednesday, "[Reed's] hypocrisy is legion -- now matched only by John McCain's attending a fundraiser he's helping host. You just have to wonder who's the bigger hypocrite."

DNC Chairman Howard Dean said this is further proof of his "the John McCain of 2000 wouldn't vote for the John McCain of 2008" argument:

John McCain's decision to cozy up to one of the central figures in the Republican culture of corruption shows how far HE IS willing to go to win. Despite all of his rhetoric about reform, McCain's willingness to accept tainted money raised by tainted Abramoff cronies like Ralph Reed shows that McCain simply cannot be trusted to bring change to Washington politics.  A maverick no more, the John McCain of 2000 wouldn't even consider voting for the John McCain of 2008.

This news follows McCain adviser and lobbyist Randy Scheunemann's connections to Georgia, and campaign manager Rick Davis' role in the acquisition of an Ohio DHL facility that now plans to cut 8,200 jobs.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

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