McCain Aide's Firm Lobbied For Georgia

Washington Post: Campaign Dismisses Timing of Phone Call, Contract

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Matthew Mosk and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum.

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Sen. John McCain's top foreign policy adviser prepped his boss for an April 17 phone call with the president of Georgia and then helped the presumptive Republican presidential nominee prepare a strong statement of support for the fledgling republic.

The day of the call, a lobbying firm partly owned by the adviser, Randy Scheunemann, signed a $200,000 contract to continue providing strategic advice to the Georgian government in Washington.

The McCain campaign said Georgia's lobbying contract with Orion Strategies had no bearing on the candidate's decision to speak with President Mikheil Saakashvili and did not influence his statement. "The Embassy of Georgia requested the call," said campaign spokesman Brian Rogers.

But ethics experts have raised concerns about former lobbyists for foreign governments providing advice to presidential candidates about those same countries. "The question is, who is the client? Is the adviser loyal to income from a foreign client, or is he loyal to the candidate he is working for now?" said James Thurber, a lobbying expert at American University. "It's dangerous if you're getting advice from people who are very close to countries on one side or another of a conflict."

At the time of McCain's call, Scheunemann had formally ceased his own lobbying work for Georgia, according to federal disclosure reports. But he was still part of Orion Strategies, which had only two lobbyists, himself and Mike Mitchell.

Scheunemann remained with the firm for another month, until May 15, when the McCain campaign imposed a tough new anti-lobbyist policy and he was required to separate himself from the company.

Rogers said Scheunemann "receives no compensation of any type from Orion Strategies and has not since May 15, 2008." Scheunemann declined to be interviewed for this story.

As a private lobbyist trying to influence lawmakers and Bush administration staffers, Scheunemann at times relied on his access to McCain in his work for foreign clients on Capitol Hill. He and his partner reported 71 phone conversations and meetings with McCain and his top advisers since 2004 on behalf of foreign clients, including Georgia, according to forms they filed with the Justice Department.

The contacts often focused on Georgia's aspirations to join NATO and on legislative proposals, including a measure co-sponsored by McCain that supported Georgia's position on South Ossetia, one of the Georgian regions taken over by Russia this weekend.

Another measure lobbied by Orion and co-sponsored by McCain, the NATO Freedom Consolidation Act of 2006, would have authorized a $10 million grant for Georgia.

For months while McCain's presidential campaign was gearing up, Scheunemann held dual roles, advising the candidate on foreign policy while working as Georgia's lobbyist. Between Jan. 1, 2007, and May 15, 2008, the campaign paid Scheunemann nearly $70,000 to provide foreign policy advice. During the same period, the government of Georgia paid his firm $290,000 in lobbying fees.

Since 2004, Orion has collected $800,000 from the government of Georgia.

Rogers said Orion's representation of Georgia had no bearing on McCain's decision to speak with Saakashvili in April. "The Embassy of Georgia requested the call because of Georgian concerns over recent Russian actions dealing with South Ossetia and Abkhazia," he said.

McCain has said that he has worked closely with Georgia and its top officials since the mid-1990s. On the campaign trail yesterday, McCain referred to Saakashvili as a close friend.

But Rogers acknowledged that "Scheunemann and others on the foreign policy staff are involved in call requests and statements on foreign policy issues."

After the April call, McCain issued a statement that day voicing support for Georgia's position.

"We must not allow Russia to believe it has a free hand to engage in policies that undermine Georgian sovereignty," McCain said in the statement. "Georgia has acted with restraint in its response and should continue to do so."

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said it may be impossible to know whether Scheunemann's advice to McCain was truly unvarnished.

"The question is, whose views are you really espousing?" Sloan said. "Are they really your own views, or are they the views that are bought and paid for by the clients of your top aides? McCain probably would be sympathetic to Georgia regardless, but having a guy like Scheunemann as a top aide raises questions."

Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Democratic candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, said Scheunemann's business ties to Georgia raise questions about how much he influenced McCain's position on the Georgia conflict.

"It's these sorts of appearances of a conflict of interest that are a natural consequence of having a campaign run by lobbyists, staffed by lobbyists and being ensconced in a lobbyist culture for over a quarter of a century," Sevugan said.

Research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report.

[shaheed42]

McComa voted with Dumbya 95% of the time.

ARE YOU BETTER OFF TODAY THAN YOU WERE EIGHT YEARS AGO?

[shaheed42]

McComa couldn''t understand why he could not find Atlanta on the map of Georgia. So Dumbya told him he would never find it because Atlantis was a lost continent and even he could not find it.

[alphaa10-2009]

CBS_Oliver comments, "There are telltale signs that (Randy Scheunemann) played a similar role in the recent Georgia flare-up. How else to explain the folly of ... Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, in ordering an invasion...?
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Thanks for the reminder Bush is the one who set Saakashvili on a collision course with Russia, when diplomacy made far more sense.

This is a familiar neocon modus operandi. We also recall Bush sent his advance political men into the Ukraine, as well, with the same ambition of making over a vulnerable but strategic republic as a Bush proxy.

Bush and the neocons never grasped the lesson-- only with consistent effort at diplomacy does peace, or the little guy, have a chance in the world order. Diplomacy does not mean Metternich via Kissinger, but a consistent and faithful observance of international law and principles.

As if to mock Bush''s false claims about Iraq as a matter of American national security and liberation from Saddam, Putin invaded Georgia, claiming "self-defense" and a desire to "liberate" populations.

America once enjoyed a comparatively limited imperial history. But Bush''s War changed all that, and forfeited 50 years of effort at making principles of international law part of the world order. Bush''s War is simply naked imperial behavior, an unprovoked invasion to control an oil-rich territory. This country will pay for years for the loss of its credibility-- and Exhibit A is the insouciance of Putin as he marches through Georgia.

[oscarez]

Barack Obama will get the endorsement of former secretary of state %u2014 and Republican %u2014 Colin Powell at the Democratic National Convention.

[broadwayphi]

And Goergia''s always on my mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mind!

AWooooo!

My friend.

[ender18-2009]

After Obama toured europe, accusations from the McCain camp cried out that he was acting "too presidential." Now with McCain making calls to Georgia and speaking with other world leaders, I wonder if his own camp will now label him as also acting "too presidential."

[bluestardad]

YEA AN MCCAIN IS MAKING MONEY OFF IRAQ AIRCRAFT FUEL ALSO!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!

[dnsallday]

What a bunch of BS.This story was leaked by the Omama campaign.

Posted by mr225
************************************************************
Good job astro turf, as a conservative tool, never, ever take personal responsibility for anything. Always, always blame somebody else for your corruption.

[dnsallday]

Ralph Reed/Christian Coalition - "A political strategist tied to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal is helping raise money for John McCain"

Same idiot lobbist who swindled the American Indians. Just proves McCain campaign is dishonest and corrupt -
Posted by zoe2006 at 04:16 PM : Aug 13, 2008
**************************************************************
This was all taking place while Johnny M. was heading up the Indian affairs Committee in the Senate.

[dnsallday]

The non-partisan group Campaign Money Watch has come up with another startling figure for those who follow the presidential money chase.

According to an analysis performed by the group, McCain''s top fundraisers and aides have collected nearly ONE BILLION in fees from U.S. companies in the past decade -- specifically, $930,949,819. Using numbers provided by the Center for Responsive Politics, the group also found that officials of those very same companies have

given nearly $12 million to McCain''s presidential campaign, so far.

"The McCain campaign relies on big money lobbyists, and they''ll rely on him," said David Donnelly, director of Campaign Money Watch. "In the ''you-scratch-my-back, I''ll-scratch-yours'' world of Washington, $931 million gets the special interests the best government money can buy. But just think of the payday these lobbyists might expect in a McCain Administration."

Donnelly''s group previously launched a website called McCainsLobbyists.com, in which users can track the special interests represented by 40 of McCains advisers.

[mr2258]

What a bunch of BS.This story was leaked by the Omama campaign.

[pvperson]

chatmandu002 , we''re already seeing lobbyists run amok and Obama isn''t in the white house. Your neo-con buddy''s have had control for 20 of the last 28 years and they not Obama made lobbyist part of our government.

[drillusion4u]

thats what america needs, more lobbyist in the whitehouse!!!

[ioweign]

Wait until the union LOBBYIST on Obama''''s campaign start running things. Then you will see lobbyist run amok.

Posted by chatmandu002 at 02:45 PM : Aug 13, 2008


It is all in your imagination...

[mcvet-1]

Wait until the union LOBBYIST on Obama''''s campaign start running things. Then you will see lobbyist run amok.

Posted by chatmandu002 at 02:45 PM : Aug 13, 2008

Which one''s would that be?? I''m not aware of any "Union" Lobbyist... Now you wouldn''t be playing with that Magic Swastika again would you?? ROFLMAO Sieg Heil McSlime

[allurfears]

McCAIN SENIOR ADVISER SCHEUNEMANN IS TIED TO LATEST BUSH ADMINISTRATION BRIBERY SCANDAL

Randy Scheunemann took $160,000 from Stephen Payne. Payne was caught ON TAPE last week SELLING ACCESS to Bush and Administration officials IN EXCHANGE for CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BUSH LIBRARY. Payne said he would arrange meetings with Dlck Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and other senior officials in return for a payment of $250,000 towards the Bush library in Texas. Scheunemann and Associates represented Payne in his overseas lobbying. At a taped undercover meeting last week, Payne said Scheunemann had been %u201Cworking with me on my payroll for five of the last eight years%u201D.


Payne, claims to have raised more than $1m for the Republican party in recent years

Payne travelled with Bush and Cheney on multiple overseas trips.

Payne is on the DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

Payne agreed a $2m deal with the Kazakh government to arrange a visit by Cheney to the central Asian country. Cheney then went to Khazakstan and lavished PRAISE on the dictatorial regime of "President" Nazarbayev.

More Info & Video Here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4322684.ece

[drillusion4u]

A political strategist tied to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal is helping raise money for John McCain

[david1737]

chatmandu002

McCain chose Phil Gramm as the co-chair of his campaign, and refers to him as his econ. "guru."

Phil Gramm is responsible for the subprime meltdown!

Gramm and his wife wendy caused and exploited the Enron debacle.

McCain himself was one of the Keating 5.

McCain is a criminal.

[david1737]

McCain is a criminal just like Bush. If you want more of the same vote McCain.

[david1737]

GOP=Grand Oil Party.