FREEDOM EDEN

Democratic Counsel Robert Bennett on John McCain and Keating Five: 'Pure Politics'

"After reviewing my report, the committee voted on October 23, 1990, to hold a public adjudicatory fact-finding hearing in the matter as to all five senators. This was perhaps the first time the recommendation of a special counsel not to charge a senator was rejected. This was pure politics as the Democrats on the committee did not want to cut McCain loose so that only Democrats would remain in the proceedings. If Senator McCain was not going to be cut loose, in retaliation the Republicans were going to keep Senator Glenn in the proceedings. McCain was the victim of politics, and poor Glenn was held captive to the decision on McCain. So much for nonpartisanship." -- Democratic Keating Investigation Counsel Robert Bennett

MEDIA ADVISORY, October 6 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is democratic counsel Robert Bennett on John McCain and Keating Five: 'Pure Politics':

In The Ring: The Trials Of A Washington Lawyer,
By Robert S. Bennett
Random House, 2008
Pgs. 133 134

"At the completion of my investigation, I filed my report with the committee. I recommended that no further action be taken against Senators McCain and Glenn principally because once they learned that there was a criminal referral, they stopped aggressively doing Keating's bidding with the regulators."

"After reviewing my report, the committee voted on October 23, 1990, to hold a public adjudicatory fact-finding hearing in the matter as to all five senators. This was perhaps the first time the recommendation of a special counsel not to charge a senator was rejected. This was pure politics as the Democrats on the committee did not want to cut McCain loose so that only Democrats would remain in the proceedings. If Senator McCain was not going to be cut loose, in retaliation the Republicans were going to keep Senator Glenn in the proceedings. McCain was the victim of politics, and poor Glenn was held captive to the decision on McCain. So much for nonpartisanship."

"Although the public airing of the factual details helped confirm why Senators McCain and Glenn should be exonerated of ethics charges, it hurt DeConcini, Cranston, and Riegle."