[Made in the USA]

McCain staff tied to Airbus lobbying
BY MICHAEL D. SHEAR AND MATTHEW MOSK
Washington Post

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WASHINGTON - To show that he's a crusader against wasteful spending and congressional corruption, Sen. John McCain repeatedly brags about his leading role in stopping a scandal-plagued, air tanker contract between the Air Force and Boeing Co. in 2004.

Four years later, a new $35 billion contract has been awarded to Europe's Airbus consortium to build the latest generation of tanker. The decision has sparked anger from congressional supporters of Boeing and critics of outsourcing. It has also focused attention on McCain's reliance on lobbyists in his campaign for president since his finance chairman and several other top advisers lobbied on behalf of Airbus last year at a time when Boeing and Airbus were in fierce competition for the Air Force contract.

The lobbyists

McCain has spoken out for years against the influence of special interests in Washington, but his campaign includes a number of prominent Washington lobbyists, including campaign manager Rick Davis, who founded a lobbying firm.

McCain finance chairman Tom Loeffler and Susan Nelson, who left Loeffler's lobbying firm to be McCain's finance director, both began lobbying for the parent company of Airbus in 2007, Senate records show. William Ball, a former secretary of the Navy and frequent McCain surrogate on the trail, also lobbied for Airbus, as did John Green, who recently took a leave from Ogilvy Public Relations to serve as McCain's legislative liaison.

"Airbus, I have to give them credit," said R. Thomas Buffenbarger, the president of the International Association of Machinists, which represents Boeing employees. "They know they need that kind of lobbying help. And they went after people who could deliver."

It is not clear what the McCain aides did on behalf of Airbus. Lobbying registration documents list only "initiatives and interests regarding the KC-30 Aerial Refueling Tanker Program."

McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said the Arizona senator and his advisers have done "nothing improper" in the tanker deal. "John McCain was never personally lobbied on this issue," she said.

Outrage

Nonetheless, the air tanker contract has sparked anger from congressional supporters of Boeing and critics of outsourcing. Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the state of Washington, where Boeing is based, have lambasted McCain for laying the groundwork for a decision that will cost their economy thousands of aerospace jobs. Lawmakers in Kansas, where Boeing has a plant, have also been critical.

On the campaign trail, McCain hails his involvement in the years-long search for a modern tanker as clear evidence of his commitment to rooting out special interests. In 2004, he led the congressional investigation that uncovered a bribery scandal in which top Boeing and Air Force officials landed in jail or were forced to resign.

"I saved the taxpayers $6 billion in a bogus tanker deal," McCain said during a recent debate.

McCain has acknowledged sending two letters to Defense Department officials urging them to level the playing field for a deal that would provide a fleet of in-air refueling services for military aircraft. In one 2006 letter, McCain urged officials to change their criteria for evaluating bidders for the tanker contract.

"I am concerned that if the Air Force proceeds down its chosen path... the Air Force will risk eliminating competition before bids are submitted," he wrote in September of that year. "In my view, this is not in the best interests of either the taxpayer or the warfighter."

McCain has steadfastly said that his role in the process has been one of a neutral arbiter. Tuesday, McCain told reporters that he had "nothing to do" with the winning Airbus contract other than insisting on a fair process.