Subject: [big campaign] Campaign Money Watch Again Calls On McCain To Fire Davis
From: David Miller <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:38:21 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 12, 2008

CONTACT
David Miller, Communications Manager
(202) 448-6154

Watchdog Group Again Urges McCain To Fire Davis

Washington, DC  Campaign Money Watch, a campaign finance watchdog group,
today reiterated its demand that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) fire campaign
manager Rick Davis after news report raised additional questions about
Davis¹ firm¹s foreign clients.

The New York Times reported today that McCain¹s Senate office was asked to
intervene in the lobbying firm Davis Manafort¹s decision to work on behalf
of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich as early as 2005.
According to the Times, ³a staff member at the National Security Council
called Mr. McCain¹s Senate office to complain that Mr. Davis¹s lobbying firm
was undercutting American foreign policy in Ukraine.²

Davis¹ firm, Davis Manafort, handled political consulting for former
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, who had close ties to Vladimir
Putin and was defeated in that country¹s 2004 Orange Revolution after
persistent allegations of widespread corruption. The firm has continued to
work for Yanukovich through 2007  and helped conduct a political makeover.
As the International Herald Tribune reported last year Davis¹ firm reshaped
him into ³an anti-corruption reformer.²

³This morning¹s story raises serious questions: Why would the National
Security Council turn to John McCain to help with its complaints about
Davis¹ firm and what did McCain do to help? Why would an American lobbying
firm work against American interests?² asked Campaign Money Watch Director
David Donnelly.

³And finally, why would a candidate for president hire a lobbyist whose firm
worked against our national interests?²

Donnelly also pointed to a May 19, 2008 Newsweek report that Davis¹ business
partner, Paul Manafort, was denied the chance to organize the 2008 GOP
national convention partly because his Ukrainian work ³was viewed as too
much,² according to one McCain staff member.

³If John McCain wants to rescue his reputation as a real reformer, he should
start by firing Rick Davis today,² stated Donnelly.

Campaign Money Watch is a project of the nonpartisan Public Campaign Action
Fund. The organization works to hold candidates who are against reform
accountable for where they get their political donations. It recently
launched FireTheLobbyists.com to urge McCain to sever his ties with the
big-money lobbyists that run and fund his campaign.

-- 
David Miller
Communications/Web Manager
Public Campaign Action Fund/Campaign Money Watch
1828 L St. NW #250
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 448-6154

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