McCain And The Lobbyists, Part 1

Tom Loeffler's relationship with John McCain was sui generis; it existed long before even the 2000 presidential campaign. John Weaver, McCain's former chief strategist, ushered Loeffler into the developing campaign structure and made him its national finance chairman. Loeffler, according to campaign officials, disclosed his lobbying clients; at Weaver's behest, he was prepared to give them up for the duration of the campaign. But McCain, trusting Loeffler to know where the boundary lines lay, overruled Mr. Weaver; Loeffler got to keep his clients. McCain and the campaign were both caught unaware by the revelation in Newsweek that Susan Nelson, McCain's new finance director, was paid a $15,000 stipend by Loeffer in addition to her campaign salary. McCain "went ballistic," according to a source, when he learned that Nelson's work with Loeffler's lobbying clients while ostensibly the full-time chief of raising money for a campaign that, for a while, had trouble raising a lot of money.

Nonetheless, McCain was not prepared to seek Loeffler's resignation and campaign advisers are beginning to complain about a "witch hunt" mentality that afflicts the press corps, one which refuses to distinguish good people who made mistakes (acceptable) from people who lied or broke the rules (obviously, not.) Loeffler is a favorite of McCain's and well-liked by the staff. So the new campaign press strategy is to tighten up the faucet; no more confirmation of this departure or that departure, no more drib-drab of bad news.

"Everybody must comply with the policy," campaign communications director Jill Hazelbaker said. "The campaign will not comment further on individual staff members."

A few others are expected to leave within the week, according to outside campaign advisers.