US presidential candidate McCain denies romance with lobbyist

Republican presidential candidate John McCain today publicly denied having a romantic relationship with a woman lobbyist.

He stood next to his wife Cindy to announce that a report by The New York Times suggesting favouritism for her clients was “not true.”

“I’m very disappointed in the article. It’s not true”, he said a news conference called specifically to address the issue.

Mr McCain said lobbyist Vicki Iseman was merely a friend.

The newspaper quoted anonymous aides as saying they had urged Mr McCain and Ms Iseman to stay away from each other prior to his failed presidential campaign in 2000.

In its own follow-up story, The Washington Post quoted veteran aide John Weaver, who split with Mr McCain last year, as saying he met the lobbyist and urged her to stay away from Mr McCain.

Mr Weaver told the Times he arranged the meeting after “a discussion among the campaign leadership” about Iseman.

Mr McCain said he was unaware of any such conversation.

The senator said he will not allow the report to distract him from his presidential campaign.

“I will focus my attention in this campaign on the big issues and on the challenges that face this country,” he said.

Mrs McCain also took issue with the newspaper, and said she trusts her husband. ``He's a man of great character,'' she said.

In late 1999, Mr McCain twice wrote to the Federal Communications Commission on behalf of Paxson Communications, which had paid Ms Iseman as its lobbyist, urging quick consideration of a proposal to buy a television station licence.

Mr McCain wrote the letters after he received more than $20,000 (€13,575) in contributions from Paxson executives and lobbyists. Paxson also lent Mr McCain its company jet at least four times during 1999 for campaign travel.