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Did McCain Distort His Interaction with the FCC?

February 21, 2008 5:43 PM

Our friends at Talking Points Memo, an excellent liberal muck-raking site, ask today if Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made a misleading comment about controversial letters he wrote to the Federal Communications Commission.

Said McCain earlier today: "On the 'letters' to the FCC. Interestingly, this was brought up in the year 2000 by The New York Times. I wrote a letter because the FCC, which usually makes a decision within 400 days, had gone almost 800 days. In the letter, I said I’m not telling you how to make a decision, I’m just telling you that you should move forward and make a decision on this issue. And I believe that was appropriate. And the former chairman of the FCC at the time in 2000 said that was more than an appropriate role for me to play as chairman of the oversight committee."

TPM says McCain is being misleading because at the time the chairman of the FCC clearly thought McCain's letters -- which would have benefited Paxson Communications, a McCain contributor and client of Vicki Iseman -- were inappropriate. (You can see McCain's exchange with the FCC chair William Kennard HERE).

I can see why TPM thought McCain was being misleading, but McCain's office says he wasn't referring to the then-chair of the FCC, but what he said, "the former chairman of the FCC." (Gets confusing because of the past tense, etc.) He was referring to Reed Hundt, they say, who at the time wrote to the Washington Post:

"Nothing was objectionable in the letters that you mysteriously find offensive. If you think John McCain's opinions and actions can be bought, your opinion flies in the face of all my experience of the man."

Fyi. Just to clear that up, because I was a tad confused, too.

McCain may be a politician, but he's smart enough to know that people knew he and Kennard didn't see eye-to-eye on that matter. It was kind of a big deal in the 2000 GOP primaries.

- jpt

February 21, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (7)

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User Comments

I find it LAUGHABLE that republicans think that because mccain got CAUGHT in the vietnam war somehow makes him worthy to run the country.

Doesn't that just make him lousy?

Who cares if he was caught. How does that make him worthy or experienced to run this country.

the only thing he'll do is run this country FURTHER into the ground than the current administration.

GO JOHN.... U HAVE NO CHANCE

Posted by: ROCK2 | Feb 23, 2008 4:44:18 PM

smell - Bill Keller's not running for President.

Posted by: Steve Garrett | Feb 22, 2008 12:56:02 PM

I read that McCain only sent these letters to the known PRO Paxon members. If so, regardless of what was IN the letters -- WHO he sent the letter's too was a clear indication of how he wanted the decision to be made. After being lobbied by Iseman, who worked for Paxon... He writes the unusual letters. Geez... Then Iseman runs all around town bragging about how she got McCain to do her bidding ---- it doesn't take much to put 2 and 2 together here.

Posted by: Lisa G | Feb 22, 2008 9:41:46 AM

whether or not his cronies thought it was okay, the FCC chairman at the time thought that such a request was MOST inappropriate coming from the chair of the committee that oversaw them. the fact is McCain personally intervened on behalf of a lobbyist's client on a matter being deliberated by a regulatory agency that his committee oversaw. not to mention that the ruling was sought by Paxson, who specifically requested McCain's "leadership" on this matter after giving him $20k, and got it.

Posted by: Mike in Seattle | Feb 22, 2008 8:00:29 AM

Correction: Josh is hardly liberal as he will readily admit.
Curious: Why do you define TalkingPointsMemo as liberal?

Posted by: Mark | Feb 21, 2008 7:48:44 PM

God I am angry at the NYtimes. McCain should be honored for his military service, but he has repeatedly betrayed his convictions for political, or in the case of Keating scandal, personal finacial gains. Most unconscionably for a former prisoner of war he supported legislation denying Habeas Corpus for prisoners we hold, he also recently voted to keep torture legal.
I am disgusted by McCain's hypocrisy, it doesn't really matter how likable or honorable his past was. But the way the nytimes played this minor story helps him and makes them look bad. Now after rallying the base for him, they'll go back to being his lapdog.

Posted by: Jay | Feb 21, 2008 7:28:15 PM

Politicians go to great length to hide the truth and exaggerate a lie.

Posted by: What's that smell? | Feb 21, 2008 7:25:55 PM

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