McCain: No More Comments
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – After a tumultuous day of media coverage, John McCain held a town hall here this morning and refused to answer any questions about the New York Times story alleging that his relationship with a female lobbyist prompted special favors for her firm.
"I don't have any more comment about this issue," McCain said. "I had a press conference yesterday morning, and I answered every question. I'm moving on… I addressed the issue. I addressed every question that was addressed to me, and I do not intend to discuss it further."
McCain added that his campaign will no longer be using strong language against the Times and in case anyone misunderstood, McCain continued, "Obviously, the fact is, I won't discuss it anymore."
But McCain did answer a follow-up question about the apparent conflict between his anti-special interest rhetoric and the large role of lobbyists in his campaign.
(NBC/NJ's ADAM AIGNER-TREWORGY)
"Well, I square it one way by saying that the right to represent interests or groups of Americans is a constitutional right," McCain said. "It's not whether the individuals, many of whom are very honorable, it's whether a system or people have violated the trust of the people as the representatives."
"I am proud of the record of many of my advisors – small example, Charlie Black," he added. "Charlie Black was involved in the first Reagan campaign and has been involved in every national presidential campaign since."
But in addition to his campaign experience, the Times article also mentioned that Black "has previously lobbied the senator for aviation, broadcasting and tobacco concerns," and is a senior partner at the powerful DC lobbying firm Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly.
McCain also referenced yesterday's attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade and Kosovo's recent declaration of independence, giving the audience a history lesson on the Austro-Hungarian Empire's collision with the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
"I believe that the people that orchestrated most of those riots and demonstrations were young people who probably had been exploited by this ultra-nationalist movement that's still the old supporters of Milosevic," McCain said about the resistance to Kosovo's decision. "I think the reports are, there was a great deal of alcohol consumed and a lot of these young people were just hoodlums.
"But, it's still, as always, disturbing when an United States embassy is attacked, obviously. At least one person was killed and others injured. I think it's going to calm down. I think it's going to be, the fact of Kosovo independence will be accepted over time as a fact."
Members of the local media also asked McCain about the ballot challenge being waged by the state Democratic Party over alleged inconsistencies in some signatures on his campaign's ballot application. He categorically dismissed the notion that he would not be on the state's ballot and said that he would leave issues like that up to local officials.