Lobbyist Denies Affair With McCain

(CBS)  A high-powered Washington lobbyist apparently linked romantically by The New York Times a year ago to Sen. John McCain is speaking out for the first time, fighting to clear her name.

McCain (R, Ariz.) was the frontrunner in the Republican presidential contest when the Times ran the story.

In an exclusive interview Monday, Vicki Iseman, asked point-blank by co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez if she'd had the affair, replied, "No, I did not."

Later, she emphasized, "Any assertions that there was anything inappropriate, ethically or professionally or personally are just not true."

The Times story claimed that, back in 1999, while McCain was running for the presidency, some of his top advisers were "convinced that his relationship with Iseman had become romantic."

If that were true, the Times said, it would have been a conflict of interest for McCain, then the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, since Iseman's clients often had business before the panel, the article said.

The McCain campaign called the Times story a "hit-and-run smear campaign," and took to the airwaves to slam their reporting.

"It was inappropriate and unprofessional behavior by the New York Times," campaign CEO Rick Davis said in late February 2008.

"We are very disappointed in The New York Times piece. It's not true," McCain himself said at the same time.

Last December, Iseman filed a $27 million defamation lawsuit against the newspaper for suggesting she and McCain had been romantically involved.

Now, Iseman has dropped the lawsuit and settled with the Times.

Although the Times claims no money was paid out and an apology was never issued, the paper wrote in its "Note to Readers" section that, "The article did not state, and the Times did not intend to conclude, that Ms. Iseman had engaged in a romantic affair with Senator McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of the public trust."

In the Early Show interview, Iseman said the Times story "all went back to one singular person, a political operative who had left the senator's campaign under acrimonious circumstances. ...All roads lead back to him."

Rodriguez pointed out that Iseman meant John Weaver, the only source named in the Times piece.

Iseman speculated that a bruised ego on Weaver's part, after she appeared to criticze a McCain speech Weaver may have written, might have been behind Weaver's dissatisfaction with her.

She also described what the Times put her and those close to her through in doing the story, and criticized the way the story was presented. She said the Times mwst have been so invested in proving the story true that it got "out of control" and the paper "couldn't walk away."

[wrmscvsuv]

The NYT, CBS, and all of the other liberal news media are in the bed together. They will do anything, and I repeat anything to make conservative, decent people look unattractive to the American voters. Just look at the hatchet job they've done on Sarah Palin and her family. "Lack of substance" my arse.

[rf35]

Who would want to have an affair with either of those two?

[gosuckabug2day]

In a rare fit of good sportsmanship, Sara Palin invited Obama, Biden and other democrats to a moose hunt in Alaska. Dick Cheney is to guide the hunt, Ted Kennedy is the driver and Bill Clinton will entertain the wives and daughters.

[jetranger7]

Well shes a GOP Republican, McCain is aRepublican,, since when have any ofEm' not Lied,, typical GOP Republicans, and Washington Politics as usual the Dimocrats are right behind them tho,,,,,,,

[gce651]

"Sticky Vicki" has that rode-hard-and-put-up-wet look about her.

Too bad the lawsuit was all for show and without merit to begin with; she could've use ithe $27 mil for a makeover. Maybe she should call Princess Cindy McCain and see if she can spare a (big) bag of makeup.

[walt1944]

It is extremely strange that a person with a $27 million defamation lawsuit would not go thru with it if THERE WERE NOTHING TO HIDE! Then DROP the lawsuit without getting a penny out of it!

Is it possible that the NYT, when confronted by her lawyer, had PROOF there was some hanky-panky going on? Is it possible the NYT had proof that maybe some money was involved between the two of them? Could it be that Cindy McCain, McBush's rich wive, got involved, trying to "rescue" her fossil husband and told Iseman to back off, attaching a few millions to the deal?

Stay tuned!

HAIL OBAMA!!!!

[STBY21]

Posted by dragonwagon5 :

You miss the point ,I wouldn't have posted such a list to start with....but since he did, I was just encouraging him to do the honest thing...
Posted by whosaid1 at 6:52 AM : Mar 2, 2009

If he is as liberal as he sounds he may not even know what the "honest thing" is. I can help by suggesting that he start his list with Bill Clinton.

[blog_fever2]

Who cares? This just shows you how low some women will go to the ahead in life. At what cost lady!?! At what cost.......

[gce651]

Whoa! "Sticky Vicki's" not looking so good anymore. Been hitting the bottle?

[tincup356]

Lobbyists and politicians...the worlds BIGGEST liars. I cannot believe the American people are acting like cattle while congress prepares us for slaughter.Americans who truly believe in the Constitution and bill of rights, should be taking action to remove these traitors from office and seizing everything they have...they sold us out via bribery,,,aka lobby dollars,,,,, they are robbing generations right now,,,and don't care.....The sad thing is party line voters still believe in their parties,,,and they are BOTH corrupt and involved in this grand conspiracy to destroy the middle class.