McCain foreign policy adviser paid by Georgian government

John McCain’s strong anti-Russian stance in the current Georgia crisis is drawing scrutiny after it emerged that his top foreign policy adviser was a paid lobbyist for the Georgian government.

Both presidential candidates have been critical of Russia but the Republican has adopted a notably sharper tone, culminating in his invocation of the Cold War earlier this week.

Now both commentators and his opponents are questioning whether that tone might have been influenced by Randy Scheunemann, whose firm, Orion Strategies, has received $800,000 in fees from the Georgian government over the last four years and signed a new lobbying deal as recently as April.

"We've seen this movie before in Prague and Budapest," McCain told Fox News on Tuesday. "And I'm not saying we are reigniting the Cold War, but this is an act of aggression which we didn't think we'd see in the 21st century."

At a Michigan fundraiser yesterday, he continued to raise the spectre of Russian expansion. “I also believe that we have to understand, in the larger context of what this is all about, and it's all got to do with the centuries old ambitions of the Russians to establish the Russian empire,” he said.

The McCain campaign views the crisis as an opportunity to posit the nominee as a strong leader with foreign policy experience and acumen that his rival does not possess – a 3am moment, as Hillary Clinton called it.

Surrogates have been dutifully hammering that message at every opportunity. "You got a guy who is ready to be president on Day One who understands the world for what it is," said Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina "The thing about Senator Obama, he's playing catch-up here. His initial statements, quite frankly, didn't appreciate how bold a move this was from Russia."

McCain’s public statements have been carefully calibrated to vindicate his long-standing scepticism of Vladimir Putin and predictions of Russian aggression, while also setting him apart from a Bush White House which has “miscalculated the Russian threat” to its former satellites,  as Graham puts it. 

"Senator McCain has talked for years about the dangers of Russian policies in the way they conduct themselves and undermine the sovereignty of their neighbours," said Scheunemann. He noted that McCain has known Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili since the 1990s, when Saakashvili was a graduate student in the United States.

But it is Scheunemann’s own allegiances that have since come into question. As part-owner of the lobbying firm Orion Strategies, he signed a $200,000 deal to continue lobbying for the Georgian government as recently as April 17 – the very same day that he arranged for a telephone conversation between McCain and Saakashvili. He then prepared a strong statement of support for Georgia in the dispute over the two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which his boss duly delivered.

At the time of the call, Scheunemann had formally ended his own lobbying work for Georgia, according to federal disclosure reports cited by the Washington Post. But he remained part of Orion Strategies, which had only two lobbyists, himself and Mike Mitchell.

A month later, Scheunemann separated from the company after McCain introduced strict anti-lobbying rules for his campaign staff. Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said Scheunemann "receives no compensation of any type from Orion Strategies and has not since May 15, 2008."

However, between January 1 2007 and May 15 2008, Scheunemann’s firm received $290,000 in lobbying fees from the Georgian government, while the campaign paid him almost $70,000 for his foreign policy advice over the same period.

Scheunemann's firm has been paid $800,000 by the Georgian government since 2004, over which period he and his partner reported 71 meetings and phone conversations with McCain and his advisers on behalf of foreign clients, including Georgia, according to forms filed with the Justice Department.

The contacts, says the Washington Post, “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.” 

Another measure lobbied for by Orion and co-sponsored by McCain, the NATO Freedom Consolidation Act signed last year, designates Georgia as eligible for millions of dollars of US aid. 

Whether McCain’s absolutist position on the conflict was influenced by Scheunemann will probably never be known. The Arizona senator’s animosity towards the Kremlin and his publicly acknowledged friendship with the Georgian president may well have precluded a more moderate stance regardless. But the Scheunemann link has nevertheless unleashed a flurry of criticism from US commentators, while affording his opponents the opportunity to paint him as a true Washington politician, steered by lobbyists and financial interests, rather than the straight-talking maverick he claims to be.

Obama adviser Susan Rice, appearing on MSNBC's "Hardball" on Tuesday, accused McCain of irresponsible rhetoric. "Barack Obama, the administration and the NATO allies took a measured, reasoned approach," she said. "We were dealing with the facts as we knew them. John McCain shot from the hip, very aggressive, belligerent statement. He may or may not have complicated the situation."

Barack Obama has adopted a more nuanced stance on the conflict than his rival, condemning the Russian attack but noting that the crisis was triggered by a Georgian assault on South Ossetia – which like Abkhazia is a pro-Russian region populated largely by a distinct ethnic group also inhabiting the neighbouring Russian region of North Ossetia.

McCain has made no such acknowledgement, instead denouncing Russia alone by claiming that "in the 21st century nations don't invade other nations."

Comments

[Alex]

Seems like US is getting one more "professional" politician.Mr.McCain even is not a president yet, but already putting more fuel in fire into US-Russia relationship. "Nice start" Mr.McCain...

[Mark R]

Who cares? If McCain were to say pro-British things after Britain was attacked by a authoritarian bully, would anyone care if one of his advisors had done some consulting for the British government? Three points:

1. Russia is wrong in this regardless of the motives of who says this.

2. McCain's comments are entirely congruent with all of his past positions as well as his personal style.

3. Political operatives often do public relations and lobbying between elections. Unfortunately for their clients, it seldom buys personal loyalty to their cause.

[Alexey]

The latest sentence is amazing. It appears McCain to think 2001 (Afghanistan) and 2004 (Iraq) to be in the 20th century. However he probably forgot American troops are still there in August 2008.

[Tania]

Why this article is not on the first page? It makes everything clear about the conflict! The thing I can not understand is why everybody listens only to Georgia's PR campaign? It's beneath Times' dignity to follow just tricky-organized PR campaign without trying to find out the truth.

[Anna]

I wasn't aware that the Georgian people were so affluent that they could spare the $$$ on lobbying in the US. An interesting sign of Georgian government's priorities indeed.

about McCain, with his life experience I'd have thought he doesn't need lobbyist nudging into saying the things he said about the conflict.

[Ivan Mykytyn]

"in the 21st century nations don't invade other nations."
McCain

Unless of course they are Americans

[zachary albion]

What an absolute non story.

I know you metropolitan media types are wetting yourselves at the thought of Obama being President, but you really need to keep tabs on your increasing anti McCain bias.

A democracy needs a free & fair press - this type of "reporting by insinuation & guilt by asociation" belongs in third world despotic countries - not here.

[AmericanSickofPayingforFolly]

One thing I give credit to Putin for is that he did not claim that Georgia had "weapons of mass destruction" prior to invading the country.

And that is why I won't be voting for McSame McBush.

[Jules Mcoubilly]

It is very sad that old style politician like John McCain will keep playing on the intelligence of American people.
It must be so obvious even for someone that did not even completed elementary school what type of cheap an irresponsible rhetoric McCain was using against Russia. Of course Russia has to back out of Georgia but how dumb people could be to believe this will quickly happen if such rhetoric of an inexperienced is drummed by McCain and the Republican Party.
This is again to distract America from the actual serious issues as the Economy and Healthcare!!! Why does the Media keep amplifying false information instead of denouncing them and their Authors

It is time for Republican to redefine themselves and their Party and bring new, fresh and responsible figures to political scene.

It is shameful for the US to keep having those old lunatics presumptuous conservatives dominate the political mindset and keep a large part of American people dumb by propagating infamously false information.

You can’t use force in Georgia!!! At least 10% of the world needed Oil is running through their pipeline. You need to use intelligence to make Russia abide to the new World order or you will need another 100,000 US Soldiers for another 100 Years in Georgia as McCain was already suggesting for Iraq.

Wake up America! You can’t have the strongest army in the world and operate with wooden-headed brains like John Mc Cain and President Bush! Both miserable representatives of the backward driven Republican Party!

JM