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McCain disavows S.C. ads on his behalf |
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By Sam Youngman
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Posted: 11/09/07 09:08 PM [ET] |
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Friday night asked an independent group to stop running ads on his behalf after former ally and current rival, ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, criticized the senator for being hypocritical.
The Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America, which reportedly is made up of McCain supporters, is running ads on the senator's behalf.
After Giuliani's campaign went on the offensive, accusing the author of sweeping campaign finance reform of hypocrisy, McCain asked the group to stop.
"If anyone considering an outside expenditure thinks they are benefiting me, I would prefer they do not air the ads," McCain said in a statement. "If there are ads up, I believe they should come down."
According to reports, the man behind the ads is Rick Reed, the co-producer of the infamous Swift Boat ads of 2004, which McCain decried.
Giuliani's campaign broke what had seemed to be a gentleman's truce between the two men after McCain spent the day drawing attention to the felony indictments filed against former Giuliani confidante Bernard Kerik.
After McCain spent the day with former Homeland Security director Tom Ridge, making indirect criticisms of Giuliani's pick of Kerik, Giuliani's campaign hit the senator hard for reportedly pursuing a $3 million loan to finance his campaign.
Katie Levinson, spokeswoman for Giuliani, said McCain's request for money "doesn't quite pass the smell test."
"Americans need someone in the White House who knows how to balance their own checkbook," Levinson said, making light of McCain's fund-raising issues.
"Is this what desperation looks like?" the Giuliani campaign asked in a separate email.
This exchange is all the more surprising, given that Giuliani has repeatedly said that if he weren't running, he would vote for McCain.
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