Must read: John McCain Pushed Earmark for Campaign Contributor

May 16, 2008 -- Despite John McCain's self-professed opposition to earmarks and his claim to have never done anything to help his favorite lobbyists and campaign contributors, the USA Today reveals that McCain did in fact push for what watchdog groups called an "earmark" after a major donor lobbied him for it. According to a lawyer for the watchdog group Public Citizen, executives from SunCor "were asking for a specific earmark. And McCain delivered."

John McCain: Photo by Jason Means (CC)

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The following are excerpts of today's story, which is the latest in a string of revelations that reveal the hypocrisy behind John McCain's rhetoric on the campaign trail:

McCain action helped Ariz. land developer
By Matt Kelley
USA TODAY
May 16, 2008

"Sen. John McCain secured millions in federal funds for a land acquisition program that provided a windfall for an Arizona developer whose executives were major campaign donors, public records show.

John McCain, who has made fighting special-interest projects a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, inserted $14.3 million in a 2003 defense bill to buy land around Luke Air Force Base in a provision sought by SunCor Development, the largest of about 50 landowners near the base. SunCor representatives, upset with a state law that restricted development around Luke, met with McCain's staff to lobby for funding, according to John Ogden, SunCor's president at the time.

"McCain's campaigns have received $224,000 since 1998 from donors connected to Pinnacle West, including $104,100 for his current presidential run, according to a USA TODAY analysis of campaign-finance data compiled by the non-partisan CQ MoneyLine. Donors include employees of Pinnacle West and its subsidiaries, employees' spouses and the company's lobbyists and political committees…

"Craig Holman, a lobbyist for the government watchdog group Public Citizen, said McCain appeared to be helping campaign donors. 'Any time the executives of a corporation work hard at raising funds for any candidate, they almost always want something in return,' Holman said. 'When it comes to SunCor … they were asking for a specific earmark. And McCain delivered.'"

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Source: DNC