In the wake of a Bloomberg report that revealed the McCain Institute for International Leadership failed to disclose a $1 million donation from the government of Saudi Arabia and John McCain’s response, his challengers Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and Dr. Kelli Ward are questioning the details about the donation.
Dr. Kelli Ward stated, “I am deeply dismayed to learn that Mr. McCain’s charity has accepted money from Saudi Arabia. Its track record of oppressing women, political opponents, and foreigners is notoriously horrific. This is just another indication of the senator’s links to high dollar donations which likely influences his voting in the United States Senate. A million dollars from the Middle East can be quite an incentive.”
“John McCain should disclose right now whether he or his political advisers asked for the $1 million donation from Saudi Arabia to be hidden. And he should immediately call for all donations to his institute to be fully disclosed to the dollar,” said Kirkpatrick. “Just two months ago John McCain predicted that foreign money would be the source of a scandal and after 33 years in Washington, McCain is no longer a campaign finance crusader — he is part of the problem.”
McCain — who in February predicted foreign money would be the source of a scandal and who has previously said candidates have an “obligation” to large donors — claimed on Friday he has no connection with the McCain Institute and refused to answer any more questions about the donation.
McCain: “All I Can Assure You Of Dave Is That There Will Be A Scandal And That Scandal Will Probably Have To Do With Foreign Money.” “McCain: [00:09:19] Oh I think it’s clear indication that the chickens have come home to roost. When you see that Ted Cruz, for example, got 15 million dollars each from two individuals – where you see hundreds of millions of dollars washing around: a lot of it untraceable. All I can assure you of Dave is that there will be a scandal and that scandal will probably have to do with foreign money. There is too much unaccounted for money washing around.” [McCain, The Rubin Report, 2/1/2016]
McCain On Wealthy Campaign Donors: “You have a sense of, shall we say, a certain amount of debt, obligation, to one or two or three people who are your reason why you existed,’ said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee who also co-wrote the campaign finance rules that have since been gutted by court decisions.” [L.A. Times, 6/9/15]