Watchdog Targets McCain's Gambling Winnings

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has made a name for itself by targeting ethically challenged Republicans over the years.

But will their latest charge may crap out if John McCain gets his way.

The group has called for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether McCain violated any rules by failing to disclose gambling winnings on his annual Senate financial disclosure forms. CREW reveals no specific dollar amounts, but the group relies on a few news stories that say McCain won thousands of dollars at various casinos over the years.

It's no secret that McCain likes to shoot craps, but his campaign told Politico Thursday afternoon that McCain had no gambling winnings in 2006 or 2007. The CREW complaint cites a 2007 weekend in Las Vegas gambling at MGM among the reported incidents in which McCain walked away a winner.

"He had no gambling winnings in 2006 or 2007," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in an e-mail. "If he had, they would have been disclosed on his tax returns."

You can read the complaint here. CREW has no formal power to launch an investigation -- only the Ethics Committee can do that.

CREW did put some creative research into its complaint, listing several lawmakers who did report gambling winnings over the years, including Minority Leader John A. Boehner, who disclosed $2,700 in slot machine winnings in 2005, and Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), who reported nearly $20,000 in winnings in 2005.