Drudge Rumor on 'NYT' and McCain Draws Response -- from McCain

By: E&P Staff A top-of-the-page (though without siren) story on the Drudge Report today declares that Sen. John McCain is appealing to The New York Times to halt an upcoming story that, allegedly, links him to some sort of improper activities involving a lobbyist.

Calls to several staffers at the Times by E&P have not been returned yet, but, oddly, the McCain campaign has responded in a rather oddly worded statement on the purported Times probe. Drudge headlines the story: "McCain Pleads with NYT to Spike Story."

The McCain response was emailed to E&P from Arlington, Va., and it comes from McCain's Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker:

"It is unfortunate that rumor and gossip enter into political campaigns. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving this country with honor and integrity. 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 important issues facing our country.

"Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics. John McCain is the most experienced and prepared to lead as commander and chief, and he will continue to run a positive campaign on the issues."

Drudge also suggests that McCain "has hired DC power lawyer Bob Bennett to mount a bold defense against charges of giving special treatment to a lobbyist!" Now the story has gone "mainstream," with full reports by The Associated Press and Howard Kurtz in The Washington Post. Here are excerpts from those two reports.

AP:

Sen. John McCain said Thursday he had "never done any favors for anybody?lobbyist or special interest group." McCain made the remark to reporters in Detroit when questioned about a report that The New York Times was investigating allegations of legislative favoritism by the Arizona Republican.

He acknowledged that his presidential campaign aides have had discussions with the newspaper regarding its inquiries. "I have not had been in talks with The New York Times. They've been communicating with our staff and with us," McCain said. "I've never done any favors for anybody?lobbyist or special interest group?that's a clear, 24-year record."

McCain and four other senators were accused two decades ago of trying to influence banking regulators on behalf of Charles Keating, a savings and loan financier later convicted of securities fraud. The Senate Ethics Committee said McCain had used "poor judgment" but also said his actions "were not improper" and warranted no penalty.

He questioned the timing of the allegations and compared them to the criticism he confronted in 2000 when he first ran for the presidency. "I do find the timing of this whole issue very interesting," McCain said. "And we're not going to stand for what happened to us in 2000. We're getting close to the primary. These allegations are coming out at a very interesting time, and I have never, ever done a favor for any lobbyist or special interest group."

Kurtz:

The Arizona Republican has hired a prominent criminal attorney, Robert Bennett, to deal with the matter. "What is being done to John McCain is an outrage," Bennett said in an interview this morning.

Bennett is preparing answers to written questions submitted by a team of New York Times reporters who have spent weeks investigating questions about the senator and the lobbyist; she has also retained a lawyer, according to a knowledgeable source who asked not to be identified because he was discussing legal matters.

McCain called Times Executive Editor Bill Keller earlier this month to deny the allegations and to complain that he was not being treated fairly by the Times reporters, who have not yet interviewed him, the source said.

If you want to comment, go to McCain.