John McCain lobbyist controversy

Vicki Iseman attending a February 5, 2008 rally for McCain's 2008 presidential campaign

On February 21, 2008, in the midst of John McCain's campaign in the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, both The New York Times and the Washington Post published articles detailing rumors of an improper relationship between John McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman.[1][2]

According to The New York Times story, McCain, who was a member of the Senate Commerce Committee during the period when Iseman was lobbying the committee, developed a close personal relationship with Iseman.[1] The New York Times came under intense criticism for the article because of its use of anonymous sources and its timing.

In December 2008, Iseman filed a US$27 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging that the paper falsely communicated an illicit romantic relationship between her and McCain.[3] The Times said they "fully stood behind the article" and the story was "true and accurate".[4] The lawsuit was settled in February 2009 with no money changing hands between the parties. However, as a condition of the settlement The New York Times printed an unusual "Note to Readers" stating that The Times had not intended to allege any affair.

  1. ^ a b Jim Rutenberg; Marilyn W. Thompson; David D. Kirkpatrick; Stephen Labaton (February 21, 2008). "For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference WP022108 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Fletcher, Paul; Cooper, Alan (30 December 2008). "BREAKING NEWS: Lobbyist Vicki Iseman files $27M suit against New York Times". Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  4. ^ Johnston, David (December 30, 2008). "Lobbyist Sues Times, Citing Report of McCain Ties". The New York Times. pp. A15. Retrieved December 30, 2008.