Waxman joins criticism of McCain fundraiser

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) joined a chorus of Democrats and watchdog groups calling on Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to cancel a fundraising event with Ralph Reed, a close friend and business partner of imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Waxman, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he was astounded that McCain would enlist Reed’s help to raise money for his campaign.

{mosads}“John McCain's decision to raise money from one of the key figures in the Jack Abramoff scandal, one of Abramoff's conspirators in a money-laundering scheme, is a very disappointing example of John McCain abandoning his principles on the campaign trail,” Waxman told reporters on a conference call organized by the Democratic National Committee. “He claimed to be a reformer. Well, reformer no more.”

Waxman and several watchdog groups who have called on McCain to cancel the fundraiser are reacting to a “special invitation” Reed sent to friends and political contacts in early August. In it, Reed says he has agreed to become a member of the McCain Victory 2008 Team and tells recipients they can send contributions for the Aug. 18 Atlanta fundraiser to his address.

In 2006, Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy charges as part of an elaborate influence-peddling scheme. McCain’s Senate Indian Affairs investigation uncovered e-mails showing, among other things, that Reed had received millions of dollars from one
Indian tribe to prevent another tribe’s casino from opening through a bogus religious anti-gaming campaign.

The panel’s final report found that those payments had “passed through” a number of organizations, including Abramoff’s lobbying firm, as well as Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform.

McCain never called Reed to testify in the investigation and Reed was not prosecuted for his involvement. His name, however, appears more than 100 times in the Indian Affairs Committee’s final report on the investigation.

McCain touts his work on the Abramoff investigation as evidence of his efforts to clean up Washington and take a stand against corrupt special interests even in his own party. Some Democrats have accused McCain of purposely protecting some Republicans and the White House in his investigation.

Waxman said he doesn’t share those views but is deeply disappointed that McCain has not canceled the event, returned any money Reed helped raise or publicly explained why Reed is touting himself as one of the leaders of the McCain fundraising effort.

“John McCain used to go root out this type of corruption,” Waxman said. "Raising money with Ralph Reed shows that — that the John McCain who ran in 2000 would have a hard time considering voting for the John McCain we see today.”

McCain’s campaign refers calls about Reed’s involvement in the fundraiser to the Republican National Committee (RNC), which operates the McCain Victory 2008 fundraising drive. RNC officials have noted that Reed’s name is not on the official invite for the event and pointed to $68,000 that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) received from Abramoff. Reid is a co-chairman of Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) presidential campaign.

The RNC dismissed Waxman's remarks, saying the "attack continues to be ridiculous and laughable."

Another GOP strategist argued that Democrats have a double standard when it comes to controversial fundraisers. The strategist noted Obama has not distanced himself from wealthy Dallas trial lawyer Fred Baron, who admitted to paying relocation and housing expenses for
former Sen. John Edwards’s (D-N.C.) ex-mistress. The day before Edwards publicly admitted to the affair, Baron held a fundraiser for Obama in Colorado, and Baron has said he’ll continue to help the Illinois senator’s campaign.