This was on that funny Bloomberg screen sitting on the desks of the financial wizards who brought you America's financial collapse, still unfolding.
First we discover that his campaign manager, Rick Davis who was paid $2 million to be the president of the advocacy group set up by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to defend them against stricter regulations. Now we discover that the head of his transition team was also on the take:
The lobbying firm of the man Republicans say John McCain has chosen to begin planning a presidential transition earned more than a quarter of a million dollars this year representing Freddie Mac, one of the companies McCain blames for the nation's financial crisis.
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Newly available congressional records show Timmons's firm received $260,000 this year before its lobbying activities were barred under terms of the government rescue of the failed mortgage giant. Timmons, 77, is listed as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac on the company's midyear financial-disclosure form.
"At the center of the problem were the lobbyists, politicians, and bureaucrats who succeeded in persuading Congress and the administration to ignore the festering problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," according to McCain.
Bloomberg writes that McCain accuses Obama as having ties to former Fannie Mae chief James Johnson, but then quotes Raines as saying "I am not an adviser to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters." Nor has Raines contributed money to Obama's campaign.
McCain not only has ties to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae lobbyists, but employs them in his campaign's top position.
Also see Barbin's earlier diary that mentions the Timmons connection.