Former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales mishandled highly classified information relating to the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program and the administration’s prisoner interrogation program, an internal report concluded Tuesday.

The Justice Department inspector general, who investigated Mr. Gonzales’s handling of the documents, said he kept classified material at his home and in an office safe in violation of security procedures. The inspector general referred the matter to the national security division of the Justice Department for possible criminal action, but officials there declined to prosecute Mr. Gonzales.

On the left is infamous con-man Jack Abramoff who plead guilty to a variety of charges including conspiracy to bribe public officials. He is now serving a five-year sentence related to those charges.

Who are the public officials Abramoff was bribing? Well, one willing bribe-taker is pictured on the right, former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH). Ney is lucky enough to walk out of jail this morning after serving 17 months of his 30 month sentence.

To the left of Ney is David Safavian, who has similar charges pending in an appeal.

And besides the unlucky "golf organizer" standing in the back, Jason Murdoch, the last person surrounded by these nefarious golfers is Ralph Reed, who is raising money for John McCain. Reed escaped the law but his name is more than tainted. He lost the Republican primary for Georgia Lt. Governor in 2006 and has been exposed as a hypocrite for taking money from casinos after previously referring to gambling as "a cancer."

Representative Henry Waxman, Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, had this to say this morning:

John McCain's decision to raise money from one of the key figures in the Jack Abramoff scandal - one of Abramoff's conspirators in a money laundering scheme -- is a very disappointing example of John McCain abandoning his principles on the campaign trail. He claimed to be a reformer? Well, reformer no more.

With Bob Ney being released from prison, how long before Senator McCain asks him to host a fundraiser also?

Earlier this week, reports revealed that Reed--one of Abramoff's closest business associates--sent an email solicitation claiming to be a member of McCain's Victory 2008 team and asking people to "join me and Jo Anne at the August 18 event in" Atlanta. This makes Reed the second Abramoff-linked fundraiser to raise campaign cash for McCain. Last month, reports revealed that Juan Carlos Benitez, a lawyer and lobbyist who was appointed to a Department of Justice post responsible for overseeing Abramoff clients after a recommendation from Abramoff himself, is a bundler for McCain's campaign.

JOHN MCCAIN'S ABRAMOFF CONNECTION

Abramoff Associate Ralph Reed Raising Money for McCain. "The McCain campaign has long been concerned about whether conservative Christian voters would fall in line this fall. But last week Ralph Reed, the first executive editor of the Christian Coalition and an unsuccessful 2006 candidate for Georgia lieutenant governor, invited well-heeled folks to a "very special event" - that means a fundraiser - for McCain in downtown Atlanta on August 18. Reed, whose campaign was torpedoed by his affiliation with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, noted he's also agreed to serve as a member of the McCain Victory 2008 Team, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported." [Washington Post, 8/12/08]

Abramoff's Law Firm Won Praise from McCain After Hiring McCain Advisor to Lobby on Its Behalf. "When Senator John McCain led a Senate investigation three years ago of Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist who later pleaded guilty to fraud charges, Mr. Abramoff's old firm turned to a former McCain campaign adviser for help. The firm, Greenberg Traurig, which had quickly cut its ties to Mr. Abramoff, hired Randy Scheunemann, who had been the McCain campaign's foreign policy adviser in 2000 -- and is again this year -- for advice on handling the Senate investigation… Mr. McCain praised Greenberg Traurig's cooperation, saying in prepared remarks at the time that 'consistent with their professional obligations, Greenberg Traurig and its counsel have always been responsive to the committee's requests, always made themselves available to answer questions, and have always conducted themselves with dignity and professionalism in these trying circumstances.'" [New York Times, 8/14/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/us/politics/14mccain.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin]

Watchdog Group: Scheunemann's Dual Role Raises Questions. "Craig Holman, the governmental affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, said Mr. Scheunemann's dual role -- sometimes advising Mr. McCain as a candidate, and sometimes advising private clients on their interactions with him as a senator -- raised potential red flags. 'This is a serious revolving door problem: a person who keeps fluctuating between being a lobbyist, and advising candidates,' Mr. Holman said." [New York Times, 8/14/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/us/politics/14mccain.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin]

Abramoff Helped McCain Bundler Obtain DOJ Post Overseeing Abramoff's Clients. "As Mr. McCain releases the names of hundreds of 'bundlers' -- his top money collectors -- one person who popped up is Juan Carlos Benitez, a lawyer and lobbyist whom Mr. Abramoff had championed for a Bush administration post. According to a 2006 report of the House Committee on Government Reform, Mr. Abramoff had urged the appointment of Mr. Benitez as special counsel for immigration-related unfair employment practices. He was named to the position in 2001. The committee's report said Mr. Benitez's job at the Justice Department 'gave Benitez authority' to conduct investigations into unfair labor practices that were 'issues of importance to Abramoff clients.' For Mr. McCain, Mr. Benitez raised $50,000 to $100,000, according to the McCain Web site." [New York Times The Caucus Blog, 7/16/08]

In 2006, Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy charges after a federal investigation unearthed an extensive effort to buy influence with Republican lawmakers by showering them with gifts and campaign contributions. Emails made public during the investigation revealed that Reed had received at least $4.2 million from Abramoff to help his clients. Despite his shady ties to Abramoff, McCain never called Reed to testify before his committee. In fact, despite acknowledging wrongdoing among his colleagues, McCain refused to investigate fellow Republicans in Congress. Now, despite the scandal surrounding Reed--and despite objections from nonpartisan watchdog groups--The Hill reports that McCain is refusing to cancel Monday's fundraiser. [Washington Post, 1/16/06; The Hill, 8/13/08]

DNC Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on McCain's double talk on ethics and lobbying reform:

"John McCain's decision to cozy up to one of the central figures in the Republican culture of corruption shows how far HE IS 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."

Prosecutors say the Alaska Republican accepted more than $250,000 in house renovations and gifts from contractors but didn't disclose them on Senate financial records.

Stevens' legal team asked the judge to move the trial to Alaska, where the senator has been a political patron since before statehood. Attorney Sullivan also asked that the trial date be speeded up to give Stevens his day in court before the Nov. 4 election.

The trial is scheduled for September 24.

Over that week, more questions have been raised about the Houston lobbyist's professional and political activities. While the spotlight shined first on Payne's connections to President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other top administration officials -- and his attempt to raise cash for the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum -- attention has now shifted to the relationship between Payne and presumptive presidential nominee John McCain's top foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann.

Scheunemann lobbied in Washington on behalf of Payne's companies, Caspian Alliance, which works with Central Asian regimes on energy projects. (The London Times reported that Caspian Alliance was providing advice to the Kazakh state-owned oil and gas company, KazMunayGas.)

According to a 2006 report of the House Committee on Government Reform, Mr. Abramoff had urged the appointment of Mr. Benitez as special counsel for immigration-related unfair employment practices. He was named to the position in 2001.

The committee’s report said Mr. Benitez’s job at the Justice Department “gave Benitez authority” to conduct investigations into unfair labor practices that were “issues of importance to Abramoff clients.”

A National Journal reporter found that Coleman pays just $600 a month to live in the Capitol Hill townhouse that belongs to his longtime friend and Republican political operative Jeff Larson. And he's missed a couple months rent, too.

Apparently the scenario didn't pass the smell test with the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who have filed just an ethics complaint.

Just who is this political operative? Well, his company "is a go-to shop for the Republicans nationwide for fund raising and providing 'robo-calls.'"

In fact, the firm was targeted by the attorney general in Indiana for violating that state's automated call laws. The firm is also linked to The DCI Group, a lobbying firm that came under scrutiny for its work in Myanmar and its ties to the John McCain campaign. They're known for "Astroturf" organizing as well as robo-calls.

"With advisors like this, it's no wonder John McCain doesn't understand the economy," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney. "His campaign co-chair helped fuel rampant oil market speculation; his Victory 2008 chair defends the outsourcing of American jobs and overseas tax shelters; and his key economic advisor has squandered his credibility defending McCain's fuzzy math. Unless shipping jobs overseas, staggering deficits and reckless handouts for special interests are your idea of sound economic policy, John McCain's incompetent circle of advisors is one more reason he is the wrong choice for America's future."

To see the DNC's new ""McCain's Economic Advisors: With Advisors Like These..." website, click here: http://www.democrats.org/EconAdvisors.

Finally, Fiorina claimed Senator McCain would also expand renewable energy technologies, saying "we must very much motivate investment in those new technologies." Fiorina failed to explain why Senator McCain has repeatedly voted against incentives aimed at promoting renewable energy during his 25 years in Washington.

"Carly Fiorina's misleading rhetoric can't hide the truth that John McCain's idea of a 'new' energy plan is recycling the failed and flawed Bush policies that cost American jobs, drive up energy prices, and do nothing to make America less dependent on foreign oil," said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney. "Once again, on a critical issue facing America, Senator McCain has changed his position to advance his political agenda rather than offer the new ideas America needs."

FIORINA VS. THE FACTS

FIORINA TODAY: Senator McCain is "approaching the subject of off-shore drilling in a sensible way." [CBS Face the Nation, 6/22/08]

MCCAIN SURROGATE YESTERDAY: Cites Cuba's Beachfront Oil Rigs As Example of How Other Countries Do To Meet their Energy Needs. "MAYOR GRECO: I want to tell you all something. Five years ago I went to Cuba and visited Fidel Castro, something I always wanted to do, some people thought it was the wrong thing to do. Guess what I saw when I was there? We drove from Havana to Varadero Beach and not out in the water not fifty, sixty, seventy or eighty miles like we're talking about here, but on the beach itself oil wells along the beachfront. And guess what he said, Castro, before we mentioned it? He said, I know you saw those oil wells which looks pretty damn bad on a beachfront piece of property. He said I had to do that because we need the fuel. Now, that's not what we're talking about doing, and that's a pity, but other countries do whatever they want. We must think about all kinds of alternatives to solve our problems. This is not a done deal, its just one of the things that they're exploring." [McCain Campain Conference call, 6/21/08: http://blip.tv/file/1011633 or http://youtube.com/watch?v=SR7BjXunjZE]

FLASHBACK: MARCH 1998 ---- OIL SPILL ON CUBA'S NORTHERN COAST. "The Cuban government says two foreign-registered oil tankers have collided, causing an oil spill which has polluted parts of the island's northern coastline. The accident happened at Matanzas Bay, where thick black slurry has washed up on the shore. Workers have been using bulldozers to clear the spillage away. The area is only about thirty kilometres from the beach resort of Varadero, which is visited by thousands of foreign tourists every year." [BBC, 3/28/98: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/70779.stm]

BUSH ADMINISTRATION ADMITS THE IMPACT OF MCCAIN'S PLAN ON OIL PRICES WOULD BE INSIGNIFICANT. "As many reports have noted, the McCain/Bush policy on offshore drilling doesn't make sense as a response to $4-a-gallon gas: the White House's own Energy Information Administration says that exploiting the outer shelf wouldn't yield noticeable amounts of oil until the 2020s, and even at peak production its impact on oil prices would be 'insignificant.'" [Paul Krugman column, New York Times, 6/20/08]

BUSH AND MCCAIN IN LOCKSTEP. "Republican John McCain is trying to appeal to independent voters by saying he's no President Bush…And yet, the president and McCain are marching in lockstep on how to deal with $4 a gallon gas. They're demanding Democrats end the federal ban on off-shore drilling, claiming it could lead to a drop in oil prices, given the expectation of increased supply." [CNN, 6/19/08]

FORMER MCCAIN ADVISOR SAYS PLAN WON'T MAKE OIL CHEAP. "Bush says he'll drop the executive order if Congress first lifts its 26-year-old ban. But even if lawmakers acted tomorrow, it would be years before the infrastructure could be put in place to support additional drilling…What sounds so simple in theory--opening offshore areas to increase oil production for the energy-price-shocked U.S. populace--turns out to be incredibly complex. And to top it all off, the plan can't resolve the supply and demand problem that is at the core of the run-up in fuel prices. Anthony Cordesman, an energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former national security assistant to McCain, says trying to solve the problem by focusing on supply or demand won't help the U.S. achieve energy independence. And it won't make oil cheap. 'It may just make it less expensive,' he says." [Forbes, 6/18/08]

FactCheck.org: McCain Gas Tax Holiday Will Not Drive Prices Down; Would "Give Federal Funds To Oil Refineries." "But economists say that the proposal is unlikely to actually lower the price of gasoline. McCain's plan would essentially give federal funds to oil refineries… But the nonpartisan American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials estimates that the total savings for the average American motorist works out to about $28; for a two-car household, that would be $54. That's IF prices actually dropped 18.4 cents per gallon. However, there's every indication that they wouldn't. Here's why: According to the basic principles of supply and demand, cutting the price of an item causes people to buy more of it. That's why stores put items on sale. But when something is priced too low, consumers will buy it faster than it can be manufactured, which leads to shortages. [Factcheck.org, 5/2/08: http://www.factcheck.org/gas_price_fixes_that_wont.html]

FIORINA TODAY: "We cannot take control of our own energy future by only relying on these new technologies, although we must very much motivate investment in those new technologies."

McCain Repeatedly Voted Against Tax Credits For Renewable Energy Production. McCain voted against several amendments aimed at encouraging renewable energy production. [2006 Senate Vote #42, 3/14/2006; 2005 Senate Vote #158, 6/28/2005; 2001 Senate Vote #125, 5/21/2001]

McCain Says He Would Veto The Farm Bill -- $300 Million in Renewable Biofuels Funding. The farm bill "provides $300 million in mandatory funding for payments to support production of advanced biofuels including cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel." There is also "$250 million in grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy and energy efficiency systems for agriculture and rural small businesses." [McCain Prepared Remarks, 5/19/08; Reuters, 5/15/2008]

McCain Opposed $290 Million For R&D On Renewable Energy, Including Wind Power. McCain voted against an amendment to extend the renewable energy production tax credit and clean renewable energy bonds programs for four years including $290 Million for renewable energy R&D on Solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower. [2006 Senate Vote #42, 3/14/2006]

McCain Cast Deciding Vote to Cut Funding For the Rural Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program From $23 Million To $3 Million. McCain voted for a motion to concur in the House amendment with the Senate amendment on the bill that made changes to programs for a net savings of $39.7 billion over five years. [2005 Senate Vote #363, 12/21/2005]

McCain Missed Vote To Require Utilities To Produce 20 Percent Of Energy From Renewable Sources. McCain missed a vote on an amendment that would require utilities to produce 20 percent of their electricity from clean or renewable energy sources by 2020 in favor of an alternative amendment would require utilities to produce 15 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. [2007 Senate Vote #211, 6/14/2007]

McCain Voted Repeatedly Against Establishing National Renewable Energy Standards. McCain voted against an amendment that would mandate that renewable energy sources must produce at least 10 percent of the electricity sold by electric utilities by 2020, a minimum of 2.5 percent must be produced beginning 2008 through 2011. [2005 Senate Vote #141, 6/16/2005; 2002 Senate Vote #50, 3/14/2002; 2002 Senate Vote #55, 3/21/2002; 2002 Senate Vote #59, 3/21/2002]

http://www.democrats.org/page/-/pdf/CanadaTripFOIA.pdf

SKIRTING THE HATCH ACT…

McCain Campaign Asked Ambassador to Skirt Hatch Act. "A Canadian newspaper reported Thursday that Friday's scheduled $100-a-plate luncheon speech by Sen. John McCain in Ottawa was organized in part by U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, a former South Carolina lawmaker whom President Bush appointed in 2005…The article in the Edmonton Sun, and an earlier one in the Globe and Mail, says that Wilkins contacted Thomas d'Aquino, the president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, to help set up what they described as a fundraiser before McCain's visit. McCain is scheduled to give a speech at the the Chateau Laurier Hotel and to meet with several Canadian officials… The Hatch Act circumscribes political activity for government employees. According to the American Foreign Service Association Web site, the State Department's ethics office prohibits fundraising activities for its presidential appointees." [The Trail blog, Washington Post, 6/19/08: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/19/democrats_question_ambassadors.html#more ]

McCain Campaign Approached Canadians Seeking Visit & CEO Reception Hosts. Two weeks ago, U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins telephoned big-business lobbyist Tom d'Aquino, head of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. Wilkins had been contacted by the McCain campaign about a Canadian visit, and the ambassador wanted to know if some of d'Aquino's group of corporate chief executives might be interested in meeting the Republican presidential candidate. Almost instantly, d'Aquino jumped at the opportunity, and an additional $100-a-plate luncheon organized by the Economic Club of Canada sold out in 30 minutes with tickets now reselling at up to $1,000 a pop. [Edmonton Sun, 6/19/08: http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/2008/06/19/5921326-sun.html]

Coming to Canada McCain's Choice; Visit Arranged By Lindsey Graham Who Passed Word that McCain Was Interested in Coming to Canada. Mr. McCain's visit came together very quickly. About two weeks ago, his organization contacted the Economic Club of Canada, whose president, Mark Adler, has strong business connections. Coming to Ottawa was the McCain organization's choice, club spokeswoman Nicolee Tattersall says. As well, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, who is from South Carolina, is a close friend of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who is very close with Mr. McCain. According to the U.S. source, Mr. Graham called the ambassador to tell him that Mr. McCain was interested in coming to Canada. He asked for advice about logistics, venues and cities that would be appropriate for the presidential nominee. [Globe & Mail, 6/13/08: http://ago.mobile.globeandmail.com/generated/archive/RTGAM/html/20080613/wmccain13.html ]

MISUSE OF CORPORATE JETS…

Wall Street Journal: McCain Campaign Fails to Reimburse For Up To Four Campaign Flights. "She used the jet on several trips last year that included campaign-related activity but never got campaign reimbursement, according to flight-tracking records and campaign-finance reports verified by the McCain campaign. At the New York fund-raiser, she spoke on stage, warming up the audience for her husband. If the campaign had paid for Mrs. McCain's trip to New York and three others that appear to have included some campaign work, it would likely have cost a total of about $15,000, the equivalent of first-class fare for the trips combined." [Wall Street Journal, 6/18/08: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121374837867082729-lMyQjAxMDI4MTEzNzcxNDc4Wj.html ]

Republican Expert: McCain Should Have Paid for the Flights. "Jan Baran, a Republican campaign lawyer, said the campaign should have paid. 'I don't know why they want to fight it,' he said. 'The chutzpah is not that they're not paying for this trip, it's that they're using a corporate airplane at a highly discounted rate.'" [Wall Street Journal, 6/18/08: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121374837867082729-lMyQjAxMDI4MTEzNzcxNDc4Wj.html ]

New York Times: McCain Used Unresolved Loophole in His Own Reform Law to Get Discounted Flights. "Mr. McCain's campaign paid a total of $241,149 for the use of that plane from last August through February, records show. That amount is approximately the cost of chartering a similar jet for a month or two, according to industry estimates. The senator was able to fly so inexpensively because the law specifically exempts aircraft owned by a candidate or his family or by a privately held company they control. The Federal Election Commission adopted rules in December to close the loophole -- rules that would have required substantial payments by candidates using family-owned planes -- but the agency soon lost the requisite number of commissioners needed to complete the rule making. Because that exemption remains, Mr. McCain's campaign was able to use his wife's corporate plane like a charter jet while paying first-class rates, several campaign finance experts said. Several of those experts, however, added that his campaign's actions, while keeping with the letter of law, did not reflect its spirit." [New York Times, 4/27/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/us/politics/27plane.html?_r=1&oref=slogin]

SKIRTING THE FEC…

FEC Did Not Grant McCain Permission To Withdraw From Public Financing System in the Primary. According to the Washington Post, "The nation's top federal election official told Sen. John McCain yesterday that he cannot immediately withdraw from the presidential public financing system as he had requested, a decision that threatens to dramatically restrict his spending until the general election campaign begins in the fall… Mason notified McCain that the commission had not granted his Feb. 6 request to withdraw from the presidential public financing system." [Washington Post, 2/22/08]

FEC Raised Questions About A Loan the McCain Received. According to the Associated Press, "The government's top campaign finance regulator says John McCain can't drop out of the primary election's public financing system until he answers questions about a loan he obtained to kickstart his once faltering presidential campaign… Federal Election Commission Chairman David Mason, in a letter to McCain this week, said the all-but-certain Republican nominee needs to assure the commission that he did not use the promise of public money to help secure a $4 million line of credit he obtained in November." [AP/MSNBC, 2/21/08]

THE SPENCER HOUSE FUNDRAISER…

Judicial Watch Files Complaint Over London Fundraiser. "Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it filed a formal complaint, dated April 22, 2008, with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) related to a fundraising luncheon held at London's Spencer House to benefit Senator John McCain's presidential campaign. The venue for the event was apparently donated to the campaign by foreign nationals, in violation of federal campaign finance laws." [Judicial Watch release, 4/24/08: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS256624+24-Apr-2008+MW20080424 ]

Basically, we're filing a FOIA request looking for information about possible violations of the Hatch Act connected to McCain's events in Ottawa today. Reportedly, the McCain campaign requested assistance in arranging the $100-a-plate luncheon.

A Canadian newspaper reported Thursday that Friday's scheduled $100-a-plate luncheon speech by Sen. John McCain in Ottowa was organized in part by U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, a former South Carolina lawmaker whom President Bush appointed in 2005.

Democrats pointed out the article late Thursday night, and alleged that Wilkins's actions could be construed as a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits many kinds of political activities by government employees.
[...]
According to the Sun: "Wilkins had been contacted by the McCain campaign about a Canadian visit, and the ambassador wanted to know if some of d'Aquino's group of corporate chief executives might be interested in meeting the Republican presidential candidate..."

You can view our FOIA request here (PDF).

Today's report follows the revelation in April that McCain used the Hensley corporate jet at a discounted rate campaign by exploiting an "unresolved exemption in a recent campaign finance law that Mr. McCain backed" to pay well below market rates for the flights.

McCain's hypocrisy on the use of corporate jets is part of a troubling pattern of ignoring the law when it stands in the way of his campaign. Earlier this year, the DNC filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission after McCain unilaterally withdraw from the FEC's matching funds program despite using the program to financially benefit his campaign, which is clearly against the law.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement on John McCain's latest attempt to skirt election law:

"John McCain's refusal to pay for his campaign's use of a corporate jet is the latest evidence that Senator McCain thinks his campaign is above the law. Senator McCain poses as a reformer, but time and time again he has chosen to ignore the rules when they are inconvenient to his campaign. America cannot afford another four years of A Bush Republican President who thinks the law applies to everyone but him. Illegal corporate contributions are not what the American people thought Senator McCain had in mind when he promised to bring a new standard of accountability to government."

Wall Street Journal: McCain Campaign Fails to Reimburse For Up To Four Campaign Flights. "She used the jet on several trips last year that included campaign-related activity but never got campaign reimbursement, according to flight-tracking records and campaign-finance reports verified by the McCain campaign. At the New York fund-raiser, she spoke on stage, warming up the audience for her husband. If the campaign had paid for Mrs. McCain's trip to New York and three others that appear to have included some campaign work, it would likely have cost a total of about $15,000, the equivalent of first-class fare for the trips combined." [Wall Street Journal, 6/18/08: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121374837867082729-lMyQjAxMDI4MTEzNzcxNDc4Wj.html]

Republican Experts: McCain Should Have Paid for the Flights. "Jan Baran, a Republican campaign lawyer, said the campaign should have paid. 'I don't know why they want to fight it,' he said. 'The chutzpah is not that they're not paying for this trip, it's that they're using a corporate airplane at a highly discounted rate.' Cleta Mitchell, another Republican lawyer, said she would have advised her clients to pay for such a trip, but that the McCain campaign had a solid legal basis for not doing so. 'That advisory opinion is something of an outlier,' she said, 'but I think it is probably appropriate that they are relying on that to say that, under the circumstances, it would have been inappropriate to pay for her air travel.'" [Wall Street Journal, 6/18/08: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121374837867082729-lMyQjAxMDI4MTEzNzcxNDc4Wj.html]

McCain Campaign Fails to Reimburse for Use of Corporate Jet. "Sen. John McCain's wife flew in her company's private jet last year from Phoenix to New York City, where she spent three hours of the two-day trip at a fund-raiser for her husband's presidential campaign. The rest of her visit was devoted to personal matters, according to the campaign. The campaign didn't reimburse Cindy McCain for the March 7-9, 2007, trip, which included the event near Times Square that brought in an estimated $100,000." [Wall Street Journal, 6/18/08: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121374837867082729-lMyQjAxMDI4MTEzNzcxNDc4Wj.html]

New York Times: McCain Used Unresolved Loophole in His Own Reform Law to Get Discounted Flights. "Mr. McCain's campaign paid a total of $241,149 for the use of that plane from last August through February, records show. That amount is approximately the cost of chartering a similar jet for a month or two, according to industry estimates. The senator was able to fly so inexpensively because the law specifically exempts aircraft owned by a candidate or his family or by a privately held company they control. The Federal Election Commission adopted rules in December to close the loophole -- rules that would have required substantial payments by candidates using family-owned planes -- but the agency soon lost the requisite number of commissioners needed to complete the rule making. Because that exemption remains, Mr. McCain's campaign was able to use his wife's corporate plane like a charter jet while paying first-class rates, several campaign finance experts said. Several of those experts, however, added that his campaign's actions, while keeping with the letter of law, did not reflect its spirit." [New York Times, 4/27/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/us/politics/27plane.html?_r=1&oref=slogin]

I wrote to you in late February asking that you sign on in support of a complaint we made to the Federal Election Commission regarding John McCain.

The complaint was fairly simple. John McCain decided to break a promise he made to the American people -- he said that he would accept federal matching funds for his primary campaign, but then backed out of the pledge after he started receiving staggering amounts of lobbyist and special interest money. We asked the FEC to enforce the agreement he had made.

When they didn't act on our complaint -- one that thousands of Americans signed on to support -- we sued them. Recently, a federal judge said that we had to give the FEC at least 120 days to act.

Their time runs out in one week, on June 24.

You can put pressure on John McCain to honor his agreement with the FEC by signing your support -- we need 100,000 Americans to stand up and demand that he keep the promise that he made the American people. If we're ever going to have truly clean campaigns, it's going to take all of us fighting for them.

Click the link to add your name:

http://www.democrats.org/FECcomplaint

I know that lawsuits, FEC rulings, and the intricacies of campaign finance law can be a little dry.

But consider this: while both Senator Obama's campaign and the DNC have unilaterally rejected lobbyist and special interest money, John McCain's campaign is blatantly breaking campaign finance law to raise as much of it as they can.

John McCain -- the self-branded "maverick reformer" -- is the exactly the same kind of Republican we've seen for decades. He breaks the rules to fit his own interests, and he does it at the expense of the American people and the integrity of the electoral process.

He knew exactly what he was doing when he signed the pledge with the FEC, because that used the money he was promised in return as collateral on a loan.

Be one of the 100,000 people to send a message to John McCain -- the law matters, and we're not going to let McCain and his lobbyist supporters ignore it.

Click the link to add your name:

http://www.democrats.org/FECcomplaint

My February email is below. It explains in detail why we're taking this action.

It's time to put an end to this, and I hope you'll help.

Howard Dean

You can add your name here.