http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/mccain_still_hasnt_updated_adv.php
June 18, 2008
McCain Still Hasn't Updated Adviser List
By Andrew Tilghman
After getting zinged for having a number of domestic and foreign
lobbyists advising the candidate, the McCain campaign recently
introduced new campaign rules barring anyone currently employed as a
lobbyist from serving on the campaign.
But they seem to have another new policy too:
not telling anyone who the candidate's advisers are.
Until a couple weeks ago, JohnMcCain.com included a page with a long
list of its advisers.
But they took it down right after TPM asked about an economic adviser
who was linked to Jack Abramoff's lobbying scheme.
A McCain aide explained at the time that the list was outdated and did
not reflect the new no-lobbyist rules that took effect in May.
(Yes, the adviser we asked about, Carlos Bonilla, is both a lobbyist
and a former White House official accused of taking favors from
Abramoff's shop. He's no longer with the campaign, the aide said.)
We were curious about a handful of people with lobbying backgrounds
who had been working for or advising the campaign.
So we drew up a list and asked a McCain spokesman to tell us which
ones remained with the campaign and which ones, like Bonilla, had been
removed.
The spokesman refused to comment on the people individually and only
reiterated the policy announced a few weeks ago, that no registered
lobbyists work for the campaign and policy advisers can't be
registered to lobby on issues they advise the campaign on.
It's been about a month since the campaign's new rules took effect,
and the Web page we asked about is still blank.
When we asked today about the Web page that used to list advisers, the
McCain aide told us they are "updating the page."
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"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad."
Aldous Huxley
Harry
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