Vicki Iseman: Difference between revisions
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Her other activities as a lobbyist included [[grassroots]] organizing on behalf of clients interested in the allocation of [[Federal Highway Administration]] [[trust fund|trust funds]]; assisted clients interested in securing government contracts and government appropriations; and participated in political fundraising.<ref name="AFBIO" /> |
Her other activities as a lobbyist included [[grassroots]] organizing on behalf of clients interested in the allocation of [[Federal Highway Administration]] [[trust fund|trust funds]]; assisted clients interested in securing government contracts and government appropriations; and participated in political fundraising.<ref name="AFBIO" /> |
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==Controversies== |
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===Reports in the ''New York Times'' and the ''Washington Post'', February 21, 2008=== |
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{{wikinews|John McCain denies romantic relationship with lobbyist}} |
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On [[February 21]], [[2008]], in the midst of [[John McCain presidential campaign, 2008|McCain's campaign]] in the [[Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008|2008 Republican presidential primaries]], both the ''New York Times'' and the ''Washington Post'' published articles detailing rumors of an improper relationship between McCain and Iseman. |
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According to the ''New York Times'' story, McCain, who was a member of the Senate Commerce Committee during the period when Iseman was lobbying the committee, developed a close personal relationship with Iseman.<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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====Alleged concerns about favoritism from McCain==== |
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McCain wrote letters in 1998 and 1999 to the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (the FCC) encouraging it to uphold marketing agreements allowing a television company to control two stations in the same city, a position which Iseman had been advocating on behalf of her client Glencairn Ltd. (now [[Cunningham Broadcasting]]).<ref name="NYT022108" /> McCain also introduced a bill to create tax incentives for minority ownership of stations, which several businesses Iseman represented were seeking.<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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In February 1999, the two attended a small fund-raising dinner with several clients at a [[Miami]]-area home of a cruise-line executive, then flew back to Washington along with a campaign aide on the corporate jet of Paxson Communications (now [[ION Media Networks]]), one of her clients.<ref name="NYT022108" /> Later in 1999, McCain again wrote to the FCC, urging it to reach a speedy decision in a case involving Paxson Communications. |
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McCain's two letters to the FCC resulted in [[William Kennard]], the FCC chairman, issuing a rare public rebuke to McCain for his interference in FCC deliberations.<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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McCain also frequently denied requests from Iseman and the companies she represented, including attempts in 2006 to break up cable packages, something opposed by companies she represented. His proposals for satellite distribution of local television stations also failed to match the desires of Iseman's clients.<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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Iseman said she never received special treatment from McCain's office, and McCain said he never demonstrated favoritism to Iseman or her clients. During a phone call to [[Bill Keller]], executive editor of the ''New York Times'', he said, "I have never betrayed the public trust by doing anything like that."<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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Iseman's clients contributed tens of thousands of dollars to McCain's campaigns.<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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====Alleged concerns about romantic relationship with McCain==== |
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According to the ''Times'' story, Iseman began visiting McCain's offices and campaign events so frequently in 2000 that his aides were worried the senator might be having a romantic relationship with her. One staff member asked, "Why is she always around?"<ref name="NYT022108" /> Staff aides also worried that McCain's relationship with Iseman would receive negative media attention due to the letters McCain wrote to government regulators on her behalf, especially since McCain's campaign stressed his probity and included proposals for more stringent regulation of [[lobbying in the United States]]. |
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Long-time McCain staffer John Weaver stated that this wasn't true. [[Daniel Schnur]], McCain's 2000 communication director with no current connection to the campaign, said it was "highly implausible"; that he would have been made aware of any such concerns.<ref name="CNN022208" /> |
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====McCain's aides allegedly intervene to "save McCain from himself"==== |
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As such, in a campaign to "save McCain from himself", his aides began restricting Iseman's access to McCain during the course of the 2000 presidential primary. According to a story in the ''[[Washington Post]]'' published the same day as the ''New York Times'' story, Weaver met with Iseman at [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)]] to tell Iseman not to see McCain anymore.<ref>{{cite news | author=Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Michael D Shear | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/20/AR2008022002898_pf.html | title=McCain's Ties To Lobbyist Worried Aides | publisher=''[[Washington Post]]'' | date=[[February 21]], [[2008]]}}</ref> Weaver, who arranged the meeting after a discussion among campaign leaders, said Iseman and he discussed "her conduct and what she allegedly had told people, which made its way back to us."<ref name="NYT022108" /> Weaver heard that she was saying "she had strong ties to the Commerce Committee and his staff" and told her this was wrong and for it to stop.<ref>{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-21 |
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|last= Cillizza |
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|first= Chris |
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|authorlink= The Fix (blog) |
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|url= http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/02/john_weaver_speaks.html?hpid=topnews |
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|title= John Weaver Speaks |
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|publisher= [[The Washington Post]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> No discussion of a romantic involvement occurred because, according to Weaver, "there was no reason to".<ref name="CNN022208">{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-22 |
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|last= Bash |
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|first= Dana |
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|authorlink= Dana Bash |
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|coauthors= Bronstein, Scott |
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|url= http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/22/mccain.lobbyist/ |
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|title= Ex-McCain aide: New York Times report 'highly implausible' |
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|publisher= [[CNN]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> Iseman confirmed she met with Weaver, but disputed his account of the conversation.<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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A campaign adviser was instructed to keep Iseman away from McCain at public events, and plans were made to limit her access to his offices. Campaign associates also confronted McCain directly about the risks he was taking with campaign and career. McCain allegedly admitted he was behaving inappropriately and promised to distance himself from Iseman. Concerns about the relationship eventually receded as the campaign continued.<ref name="NYT022108" /> |
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===Response from McCain's campaign=== |
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The night the story appeared, the McCain presidential campaign issued the following statement: "It is a shame that ''The New York Times'' has lowered its standards to engage in a hit-and-run smear campaign. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election. Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career.”<ref name="NYT022108" /> A McCain campaign adviser added that the report “reads like a tabloid gossip sheet”.<ref name="FOX02210" /> |
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McCain spoke in a press conference the following day saying, "I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true." He stated he never showed favoritism for her clients: "At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust." He went on to characterize Iseman as a friend but no closer than other lobbyists. Both he and his wife strenuously denied any impropriety. He said he wasn't aware of the meeting Weaver had with Iseman nor of any concerns among his staff about his association.<ref>{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-21 |
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|last= Quaid |
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|first= Libby |
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|url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/21/AR2008022100343.html?hpid=topnews |
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|title= McCain Says Report Is "Not True" |
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|publisher= [[The Washington Post]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> |
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===Reactions=== |
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[[George Stephanopolous]], an ''[[ABC News]]'' correspondent, said that — while damaging — as long as the sources remain anonymous this story will not throw the campaign off course. He quoted McCain aides that they will go after ''The New York Times'' "with extreme aggression — if the newspaper was going to act like a partisan they were going to treat them as a partisan."<ref>{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-21 |
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|last= Stephanopolous |
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|first= George |
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|authorlink= George Stephanopolous |
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|url= http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4322573 |
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|title= McCain Charges: Scandal or Smear |
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|publisher= [[ABC News]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> On the same day, fellow Senator [[Joe Lieberman]], who has endorsed McCain for the presidency, said, "The story I think is outrageously unfair to him. There's no 'there' there."<ref>{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-18 |
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|last= Singer |
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|first= Stephen |
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|url= http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2008/02/21/lieberman_defends_mccain_from_suggestion_of_improper_relationship/ |
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|title= Lieberman defends McCain from suggestion of improper relationship |
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|publisher= [[Associated press]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> |
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''[[Fox News]]'' said that with only anecdotal statements and no evidence of impropriety, the real story was whether ''The New York Times'' should have published the article. ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' publisher [[Mort Zuckerman]] said, “I don’t think that there is enough acknowledged sourcing for this story." |
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Several conservative voices, who had recently criticized McCain, came to his defense. [[Brent Bozell]] of the [[watchdog]] [[Media Research Center]] said, “The ''New York Times'' is giving the ''[[National Enquirer]]'' a bad name”. <ref name="FOX02210">{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-21 |
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|pages= |
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|url= http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/02/21/fit-to-print-new-york-times-in-crosshairs-for-report-on-mccain-and-female-lobbyist/ |
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|title= Fit to Print? New York Times in Crosshairs for Report on McCain and Female Lobbyist |
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|publisher= [[Fox News]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> He said the story was done hastily because it feared the embarrassment of an imminent ''[[The New Republic|New Republic]]'' article reporting on internal dissension about the story.<ref>{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-21 |
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|last= Kessler |
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|first= Glen |
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|url= http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/02/21/mccain_camp_takes_on_the_new_y.html |
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|title= McCain Camp Takes On the New York Times |
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|publisher= [[The Washington Post]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-21 |
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|last= Sherman |
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|first= Gabriel |
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|url= http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=8b7675e4-36de-43f5-afdd-2a2cd2b96a24 |
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|title= The Long Run-Up |
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|publisher= [[The New Republic]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> Talk show host [[Rush Limbaugh]] said, "This is what you get when you walk across the aisle and try to make these people your friends. I'm not surprised in the least that the NYT would try to take out John McCain." [[Sean Hannity]] and [[Laura Ingraham]] decried the article's sourcing.<ref>{{cite web |
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|date= 2008-02-21 |
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|last= Szep |
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|first= Jason |
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|url= http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN1931768920080221 |
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|title= McCain could gain from report on lobbyist link |
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|publisher= [[Reuters]] |
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|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 19:08, 22 February 2008
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into John McCain presidential campaign, 2008. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2008. |
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (February 2008) |
 | This article may relate to a different subject or has undue weight on an aspect of the subject. (February 2008) |
Vicki L. Iseman |
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Vicki L. Iseman (born 1967) is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist working for the firm Alcalde & Fay who gained national media attention on February 21, 2008, when The New York Times ran a story[1] alleging that during John McCain's presidential campaign in the 2000 presidential primaries, John McCain's aides had to intervene with McCain to put a halt to an "appearance of a close bond with a lobbyist" due to the apparent closeness between McCain and Iseman.
Personal
A native of Indiana, Pennsylvania, Vicki Iseman graduated from the Homer-Center School District in 1985[2] and attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education in 1990.[3]
Career
Within months of graduation, Iseman joined a friend in Washington, D.C. and initially got a job as a receptionist at Alcalde & Fay. After a few months, she approached the president of Alcalde & Fay and said "I’m a college graduate and I’d like you to consider me for a secretarial or an administrative position." The president agreed to a three-month trial and within a year she became his special assistant.[3]
From this position, Iseman learned about lobbying from the firm's president, and soon became a lobbyist in her own right. Eight years later, she became the youngest partner in the history of Alcalde & Fay.[3]
Clients
Her clients were mainly broadcasters who were interested in the regulation of cable television. Her most prominent clients at this point were PAX Network, Religious Voices in Broadcasting, Telemundo, the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (which was purchased by Univision Communications, Inc. in 2003 and renamed Univision Radio), and Computer Sciences Corporation.[3]
Lobbying activities
On behalf of these clients, she lobbied both the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce (commonly known as the House Commerce Committee) and the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (commonly known as the Senate Commerce Committee).[4] In the course of hearings on communications bills in 1992 and 1996 which eventually led to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, she argued that cable TV should have to carry broadcast television.[4] She also represented her clients' interests with respect to the upcoming conversion to digital television; satellite reception; and telecommunications ownership provisions.
Her other activities as a lobbyist included grassroots organizing on behalf of clients interested in the allocation of Federal Highway Administration trust funds; assisted clients interested in securing government contracts and government appropriations; and participated in political fundraising.[4]
References
- ^ Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn W. Thompson, David D. Kirkpatrick, Stephen Labaton (February 21, 2008). "For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk". The New York Times.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Jeff Himler (October 21, 2005). "Board expedites support for baseball field". The Dispatch.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c d Bruce Dries (Fall 2002). "A View from the Top". IUP Magazine.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c "Vicki Iseman". Alcalde & Fay. Archived from the original on 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 2006-06-28 suggested (help)
External links
- List of clients for which Iseman has lobbied, accessed from opensecrets.org
- Official Biography from Alcalde & Fay website, accessed from Archive.org, February 21, 2008