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cjan -> RE: Obama opts out of public campaign finance system (6/20/2008 4:42:59 PM)
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Re: McCain and Keating 5
quote:
Gray testified that several U.S. senators had approached him and requested that he ease off on the Lincoln investigation. It came out that these senators had been beneficiaries of $300,000 (collective total) in campaign contributions from Keating. McCain received $112,000 by 1987 from Keating and Keating's relatives and employees to McCain's Senate campaign, more than any of the other Senators. [1] In September 1987 National Thrift News was the first media outlet to break the story.[2] In October 1989 The Arizona Republic reported that in addition to campaign contributions, McCain's wife and her father had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. The paper also reported that the McCains, sometimes accompanied by their daughter and baby-sitter, had made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard the American Continental Corporation (parent of Lincoln) jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain also did not pay Keating for some of the trips until years after they were taken, after he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln. [3] Lincoln Savings and Loan's collapse is said to have cost taxpayers $3.4 billion [4].
quote:
After 1999, the only member of the Keating Five remaining in the U.S. Senate was John McCain, who is the Republican candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Before McCain was named the presumptive nominee, The New York Times ran an article on January 28, 2008 revisiting the scandal in addition to some other allegations of inappropriate behavior by McCain. Robert S. Bennett, whom McCain had hired to represent him in this matter, defended McCain's character and was one of many people who criticized the piece.
The "investigation was a whitewash as far as McCain was concerned. He was the biggest beneficiary of donations and "perks" like trips to the Bahamas and use of Keatings private plane. Remeber, McCain was the Senator from Arizona while Keating and his business interests were in California. Keating was not a constituent of McCain at the time.
Bennet was the special council for the "investigation". Afterward, McCain hired him to represent him privately. Coinkidink ? I think not. Clinton never got that cozy with Ken Starr, did he ?
quote:
The committee recommended censure for Cranston and criticized the other four for "questionable conduct." However, the report did not address the startling reality that a private U.S. citizen accused of improprieties had called a meeting of five U.S. senators with an agenda dedicated to aiding his financial fortunes, and all five of them actually showed up and allowed him to direct proceedings.
M'laird, the "startling reality" mentioned just above is de facto proof that there was a coverup. It's as obvious as a turd in a punch bowl. However, if you were to acknowledge that, which of course you will not, I would fall off my chair.
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