Keating law firm donates $50,000 to McCain campaign

Those voting for the first time this year may not have even been alive during the Keating Five scandal, the political corruption case that threatened to end John McCain's political career back in 1989. Much to the chagrin of those Democrats gesticulating wildly at the very silent elephant in the room, the Obama campaign has largely refrained from touching upon the issue, perhaps preferring to leave past associations well alone, for understandable reasons.

But sometimes history throws little reminders into our present path, and this is one of those times. Campaign finance records have revealed that the law firm founded by Charles Keating - before he went to jail for fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy for his activities as chairman of Lincoln Savings and Loans - has made donations totalling over $50,000 to McCain's campaign.

The Center for Responsive Politics has done the maths, and says: "In amounts ranging from $200 to $2,300, about 30 partners and employees of the legal firm Keating, Muething and Klekamp, as well as their family members, have contributed $50,200 to McCain's 2008 campaign. All but two of the contributions came in July, and all but three of those July donations were logged on July 31, suggesting they were delivered at the same time. As with any bundle of campaign contributions, it's difficult to determine which donor was the "bundler," the person who solicited the contributions on the campaign's behalf. McCain's online roster of bundlers, which purports to name any individual bundling $50,000 or more for the campaign, does not associate any of McCain's major fundraisers with the Keating firm."

This is not improper in itself, and the only Keating included in the bundle is William J. Keating, Jr., Charles Keating's nephew, who is listed as a partner in the firm and contributed $1,000.

But it reminds us of McCain's role in "The Keating Five," a group of senators who received a total of $1.4 million in campaign contributions connected to Keating and personally intervened with government regulators to allow Lincoln Savings and Loans to make highly risky investments that defrauded thousands of investors and cost taxpayers $3.4 billion.

Keating, now 84, once wrote to McCain that "I'm yours till death do us part". Could he be keeping his promise?

Comments

[sally]

Why is this the first time this has been revealed, or is it that the MSM is showing bias?

[Dave S., USA]

It's very interesting that this tidbit of important news has yet to be announced on my side of The Pond

[ken rau]

At least, we know that Mr Keating hasn't forgotten all the "favors" that "honest John" McCain has done for him over the years...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I am a Republican, voting for BARACK OBAMA. We must end our 8 year "National Nightmare"

[TeeLee]

John should be ashamed to accept any money from Keating! His wife Cindy made $14,500,000 profit on a Keating related real estate deal. That amount of money buys several of John's 7 homes.

[pissed off liberal]

LOL...amazing
birds of a feather

[Dakota]

Good Grief !!

[RASTA]

McCain-Keating Letter: "I'm Yours Till Death Do Us Part"

In the letter, McCain apologized for listing Keating as part of his Senate .... Sort of a Brokeback Finance Committee moment, shared between friends. ...

www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/09/mccain-keating-letter-im_n_133377.html?page=5

[ALFRED]

John McCain was a rich, spoiled son
of an Admiral, grandson of an Admiral,
'MILITARY ROYALTY'.

John McCain will never know what it is
like to EARN an HONEST MAN'S working wage.

He has spent his life defending CROOKS like Charles Keating,
and probably will die, sticking up
for the Republican CROOKS.
He has no law degree, or education
that is evident when he speaks in
public. He is a SHAM, BOGUS,
MEAN, SON-OF-A-BITCH
who should have gone to prison
with Charles Keating.

[Chuck Hovey]

One of many incidents in this man's life that major media has failed to cover. He also accepted several trips to Keating's villa in the Caribbean and wife Cindy entered into a lucrative business deal with Keating as well which endures to this day.

Bottom line is McCain lives for lobbyists and in return, is owned by PACs. He is a sorry example of a Senator who should retire before being thrown out.

[expatriot]

Where are your articles examining the many shady contributions to the Obama campaign?
American politics is corrupt. As Obamans would say: get over it.

[GAYLA GIPSON]

"I'm Yours Till Death Do Us Part" says it all.

[Wildcat]

"It's very interesting that this tidbit of important news has yet to be announced on my side of The Pond"
I think it just has, Dave S. >:)
Wildcat

[Spunky56]

I wouldn't find it surprising that if McBush/Palin wins the election, John would pardon Jack Abramhoff. Good ole boy Jack could than be among the cronies of a McBush regime!

[emmalee]

McCain-Palin! Before you badmouth and desperately dig into Obama's so called past associations, why dont you looking inside your own closet! Luckily for you Obama has more class and integrity than to start robocalls about all of your dishonesty and hypocracy. Im still so disappointed in McCain. I thought you were a leader of integrity. But that was then.... THIS IS NOW.

[R. Paul]

Its disgusting that after all the damage Keating and his other crooks did and the cost to US Taxpayers, that any firm assoicated with Keating would have the gall to make contributions to one of the guilty senators in this dark chapter in US Senate History. Shame on McCain and shame on the Keating law firm.
Why would any person do business with this law firm?

[snwbrdr464]

great...more money for plain to spend on nonessential luxuries.

[Fran]

By the beginning of June, 2008, the Obama campaign had received $7.9 million from Wall Street firms while the McCain campaign had received $4.2 million. Both amounts are obscene, but it is Obama who has set a precedent by refusing public financing for his general election campaign.

Obama raised over $600 million with only $150 million of that in small contributions that are not required to be reported by donor. The idea that Obama is a reformer who doesn't take money from lobbyists and who will overhaul the campaign finance laws in the U.S. is laughable.

[marc]

John McCain palling around with domestic unrepentant embezzlers. Where is the US Coverage on this

[John]

Why is the rest of the world so in to the US election? If the Euro's would just meet their obligation to the Nato-Afghani mission, they might not feel so disrespectful of who and why someone gives a candidate money. Has any one of these Europeans looked at the honesty of the Acorn vote count? Or for that matter has anyone, this country or others, looked at the people and the amount of money given to the Democratic Candidate? No. They don't care and wouldn't know a blown election if it bit them in the butt. Good work, Putin, but we already have your number.

[serving soldier]

Alfred's comments of John McCaine not knowing what an honest day's work is like because he is "Military Royalty" shows his utter ignorance. I can assure you that McCaine would have had to work his butt off and proved himself before he would have been entrusted with a million dollar plane to fly.
As a serving black officer I am constantly fighting against the perception that I got where I am because of my skin colour. I am sure that McCaine may have faced the same issues coming from"Military Royalty". Although, I do not agree with his policies I do respect him as a military man.

[dirtyharry]

No where in this hit piece is it mentioned that McCain was charged only with bad judgement on this deal. And that he was charged only because the democrats wanted a republican to lessen their blame. That he has apologized profusely and said it was the greatest mistake of his life.

It is old news, and I am not gullible enough to believe, without proof, that McCain would knowingly accept donations from Charles Keating.

If you really want to look for something to make your hair curl, check into Obama's affiliations with terrorists, gangsters, Acorn and his own Minister.

[h.c. ecco]

one of the clearest memories of the whitewashed senate self-investigation that merely cited mccain for "poor judgement" for his role in the "keating five" vaudeville is the voice of the late senator howell heflin, in his characteristic drawl, telling mccain "you sold yo' office"...looks like the old navvy is still collecting.

[angie]

whats all the fuss, all politicians in all countries are corrupt!!!!We know this and have seen this for ourselves..The best thing is to pick the best candidate from a bad bunch and hope for the best......

[Cincinnati]

With all due respect to the author, I do not think she has quite done all of her homework. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, and during law school in the mid-1990's I worked as a law clerk at KMK. No one ever dared mention the "Keating 5" affair, and Bill Keating was long gone from the firm at that time - and, as far as I can tell, had no association with him whatsoever aside from the fact that some relatives - successful lawyers in their own right - worked there. What can be said about KMK is that its lawyers are mostly conservative and their clients are some of the key Republicans in the city. Personally I am not supporting McCain's candidacy in this election, but I think that the innuendo in contained in this article only serves to cloud and confuse the political debate we should be having about this election.

[Michael Rose]

Thank you for showing us the ongoing connection between McCain and Charles Keating. McCain has been able to get a free pass for far too long by playing war hero and man of reason while he slithers up to the wretched right and their financiers.

[Dayle]

That should "pay" for palin's shoes and/or guns (as her hobby)

Texas - Not a palin fan period!

[wherearemymeds]

Unbelievable......and yet it is. Although, to be fair, maybe this 50 grand will make up for some of Sarah-the-Empress' New Clothes!

The real truth is far more dull--it's just McCain's way of Republican economic theory.

Digg the article!!
Vote for common sense, vote Obama!

[carol]

Nothing surprises me that these people will do. Why is the country in the mess it's in?
8 years is Enough!

[Kevin John]

Oh come now Hannah,l don't get your British pantees in an uproar. It's just not becoming.

John and Charles have had an excellent boyhood friendship for at least 235 years.
Back when Mr. McCain was only a few years old.

I assure you that the tripe that is insinuated on this disturbing post is in the caliber as the National Enquire..."Enquiring Minds want to know!"
Besides as a good friend and fellow investor with Keating Inc. for the last 25 years, I have had very excellent performances on my portfolios. Are you just jealous?

[Beca]

The money raised by the Obama campaign comes from individual people. He does not accept money from lobbyists, and that is a fact. He set that policy before he began his Primary campaign and has kept with it. Once he became the Democratic nominee, he also asked the DNC to not accept lobbyist money (that is where the big company money comes from ) McCain and the RNC have had no problem soliciting and accepting lobbyist money.
In Obama's no lobbying policy, I know some who had their money returned to them immediately with a thank but no thanks note. Obama does not accept money from corporations--the money that is listed under specific industries is from employees who work in that industry. It only makes sense since one has to list their employer and occupation, and most donors have jobs that they would have to be working somewhere!
Obama 's money is clean and all the attempts by McCain to make it look dirty have fallen flat because they have no basis.
Obama decided not to go through the Public Financing route (which is taxpayer money) because at that point the RNC was flush with millions of dollars available to use for the McCain camp. Also, he knew that the McCain team had figured out some loop holes to get past the restrictions of the Public Financing rules which allowed them to continue to fundraise (under the guidelines of the Public Financing, the campaign is not allowed to raise any more funds); under the "compliance fund" the McCain camp managed to continue to raise millions, aside from the 87 million from the PF fund. The RNC could also continue to fundraise and they had no restrictions. The DNC, at the time, was almost broke, so if Obama had agreed to the PF fund, he would have started at a huge disadvantage. Obama is a brilliant person with brilliant strategists, and they decided that they were not going to do McCain any favors, so they opted not to go the PF Fund route. Obama never promised nor committed, he said he might and would be willing to talk about with the selected Republican Opponent--it was within his right to decide not to do it. He did nothing wrong. In fact, his money comes way more from the "little" people (yes he does have whealthy donors too) than McCain's money comes from. McCain and the RNC have been accepting lobbyist money all along--that is where the dirty money comes from, because that money has huge strings attached. Obama does not owe anybody but the American people. McCain owes all the big comrporations and big political players.

[Beca]

THERE IS NO ACORN VOTER FRAUD ISSUE! That is a made up lie by the McCain camp and the Republicans to try to discredit one of the most successful non-profit organizations that does nation wide voter registration. Go to factcheck.org and you will find that Acorn has done nothing wrong. The Republicans are trying everything to try to get new voter registrants thrown off the books, because they know that most of the new voters are Demcorats--that is the only way the Republicans know they can win this election, by cheating. The Republicans are masters at blaming the other party for the nasty things they are doing.
Besides, there have been already TWO Republican hired firms whose owners have been arrested because of real fraud--this only happened this past month.

[Beca]

Carol, you said: "John and Charles have had an excellent boyhood friendship for at least 235 years.
Back when Mr. McCain was only a few years old"
WOW, I did not know John was that old!!
The point is that McCain has been making wild and false accusations about Obama's supposed "associations" and likens him to a terrorist because he dared sit in the same board room 6 times with a 60's former "domestic terrorist". This guy Keating is a convicted fellon, and McCain still has a close friendship with him--according to McCains own "guilt by association game", McCain must then also be a domestic financial terrorist because he has had a "235 year" friendship with a convocted fellon who bliked taxpayers millions of dollars.

[Tom in Chicago]

Thank you for your reporting. The insanity, of course, is the degree to which McCain tries to portray himself as a maverick and as a politician concerned with the well-being of this country's middle class. McCain was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and most of his life he has behaved quite petulantly, trying to jab this spoon in the eyes of anybody near him. With respect to the Keating scandal, the blind eye turned to what was this country's largest economic meltdown since the Depression and until our current state of affairs is quite amazing.