Pro-Democracy Group Links Lobbyists, McCain

The workings of a nonprofit democracy-promotion group John McCain has chaired for 15 years are “in many ways at odds with the political outsider image that has become a touchstone of the McCain campaign,” the New York Times reports. The International Republican Institute is a “something of a revolving door for lobbyists and out-of-power Republicans that offers big donors a way of helping both the party and the institute’s chairman."

Hundreds of contractors, lobbyists, oil companies, and others have donated to the group during McCain's tenure. A campaigh spokesman says McCain "has never requested nor offered to take a position on legislation in exchange for, or because of, contributions to" the International Republican Institute, which has a $78 million annual budget.