Was McCain Campaign Helped by a Nonprofit?

For weeks, Republican presidential candidate John McCain had been hammered for supporting the Air Force’s February decision to award a $40 billion contract for refueling tankers to Northrop Grumman and its European partner. Democrats, labor unions and others blamed the senator for a deal they say could move tens of thousands of jobs abroad.

McCain’s advisers wanted to strike back against key Democratic critics. But they did not mount an expensive advertising campaign to defend the candidate’s position. They called a tax-exempt nonprofit closely aligned with the senator from Arizona, seeking information and help.

. . .

“The question is: What is lobbying and what is campaign intervention?” said Frances R. Hill, a University of Miami law professor who specializes in charitable organizations. “The difficult issue that arises with these kinds of relationships, especially in election years, is whether a candidate for public office is benefiting improperly from an organization’s activity.”

For the entire article, see “McCain Campaign Calls; A Nonprofit Steps In” in the May 31, 2008, issue of the Washington Post.

DAB