Good article too!
History Lesson: John McCain & the Keating Five
by: Matt Jerzyk
Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 07:45:00 AM EDT
Pat asked a very relevant question about why The Keating Five has been buried in this election.
Well, since so many voters - including myself - were not in fact voters at the time of this McCain scandal, I think it is appropriate to flesh out what happened with the Keating Five.
1. Newly elected Sen. John McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,00 in contributions (a whole lot 20+ years ago) and McCain made at least a dozen trips on Keating's airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating's luxurious retreat in the Bahamas.
2. Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion.
3. McCain's wife and father-in-law also were the largest investors (at $350,000) in a Keating shopping center: a deal called "a sweetheart deal" by the local paper.
4. In a highly unusual move for the "cozy" Senate, the Senate Ethics Committee investigated McCain and the other 4 members of the "Keating Five" and found the appearance of impropriety.
http://www.rifuture.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=3981