Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jack Abramoff appear to have reached a truce.
In 2005, McCain earned a badge of ethical pride as the head of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee who dragged Abramoff’s backroom dealings through the public spotlight in a crusade to reveal public corruption on Capitol Hill.
{mosads}Now, nearly 7 years later, the former Republican presidential nominee is lauding the disgraced lobbyist’s efforts to reform campaign finance rules.
“He paid his debt, which was decided by a jury of his peers, and since he paid his debt to society I can’t hold anything against him,” said McCain in an interview with The Hill. “So if he wants to take on efforts to improve government then I applaud it.”
McCain’s investigation of Abramoff helped land the former lobbyist three and a half years in prison for defrauding Native American tribes of more than $80 million in lobbying fees.
“By the way, he’s not very happy with me, as you can imagine,” said McCain.
But Abramoff begs to differ.
Since his release from prison in 2010, Abramoff has partnered with good government groups in an attempt to shed light on the corrupting influence money plays in politics.
He said he hopes to work with the senator someday.
“I appreciate Senator McCain’s comments and approach and hope one day we might even find ourselves on the same side fighting to reform our political system,” said Abramoff in an email to The Hill.
McCain’s signature campaign finance reform law, co-sponsored with former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), has been largely dismantled by recent court rulings, notably the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010.
The civil tone between McCain and Abramoff is a stark juxtaposition to years past, when the Arizona Republican has frequently invoked his investigation of the lobbying scandal as proof that he is not corrupted by K Street.
The issue came up repeatedly during his bid for the presidency in 2008.
“Ask Jack Abramoff if I’m an insider in Washington,” said McCain during a debate. “You would probably have to go during visiting hours in the prison, and he will tell you, and his lobbyist cronies, of the change I made there.”
In 2010 the Abramoff scandal again reared its head as former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) battled McCain for Arizona’s Senate primary. Hayworth was a recipient of money from Abramoff and a large benefactor of Tribal donations, but was not mentioned in McCain’s final report on his investigation of Abramoff.
McCain ultimately won out, with regular references to his role in the Abramoff affair.