A developer, his deals and his McCain ties - cozier than a Rezko

[EV_Ares]

From The International Herald Tribune:


Donald Diamond, a wealthy Arizona real estate developer, was racing to snap up a stretch of virgin California coast freed by the closing of an army base a decade ago when he turned to an old friend, Senator John McCain.

When Diamond wanted to buy land at the base, Fort Ord, McCain assigned an aide who set up a meeting at the Pentagon and later stepped in again to help speed up the sale, according to people involved and a deposition Diamond gave for a related lawsuit. When he appealed to a nearby city for the right to develop other property at the former base, Diamond submitted McCain's endorsement as "a close personal friend."

Writing to officials in the city, Seaside, California, the senator said, "You will find him as honorable and committed as I have."

Courting local officials and potential partners, Diamond's team promised that he could "help get through some of the red tape in dealing with the Department of the Army" because Diamond "has been very active with Senator McCain," a partner said in a deposition.

For McCain, the Arizona Republican who has staked two presidential campaigns on pledges to avoid even the appearance of dispensing an official favor for a donor, Diamond is the kind of friend who can pose a test.

A longtime political patron, Diamond is one of the elite fund-raisers McCain's current presidential campaign calls Innovators, having raised more than $250,000 so far. At home, Diamond is sometimes referred to as "The Donald," Arizona's answer to Donald Trump — an outsized personality who invites public officials aboard his flotilla of yachts (the Ace, King, Jack and Queen of Diamonds), specializes in deals with the government, and unabashedly solicits support for his business interests from the recipients of his campaign contributions.

for rest of the article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/22/america/22diamond.php

[speedoo]

1. K&R. Thanks for posting this. nt

[medicswife]

2. kick nt

[FrenchieCat]

3. Donald Diamond.

I'm sure that the Obama folks have that one ready set to go.

[hughee99]

5. I wouldn't be surprised to see them keep this one back

I don't think Obama has any interest in starting the "business associate" discussion if he doesn't have to. If McCain brings it up, though, I'm sure he'll be ready.

[TTUBatfan2008]

9. McCain ALREADY brought it up...

In response to the "seven" ad, McCain's campaign put out an ad called "Housing Problem" that accuses Obama of giving $14 million in legislative money to Rezko in return for a good deal on his house.

[hughee99]

10. If it doesn't gain traction it won't be an issue after the conventions.

If it does, I'm sure Obama will be ready. In large part, commercials like this at this time of the year are not very effective. The people who they are targeting (those who will vote but only have a passing interest in politics) aren't paying attention yet and will forget all this in a few weeks. They may bring it back, but I suspect they were putting it out now to see how it did.

[Gabi Hayes]

4. here

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mccain+diamond

The Blotter: McCain Aided Arizona BusinessmanMcCain also wrote a personal letter of introduction for the donor, Arizona developer Don Diamond, which Diamond used to win business, according to the paper ...
blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2008/04/mccain-aided-ar.html - 31k - Cached - Similar pages

Political Affairs Magazine - McCain's Back Door Deals Shatter ...McCain also used his office to help Diamond cut through environmental ... Diamond met and helped fund McCain in his first run for Congress back in 1982, ...
www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/6776/ - 33k - Cached - Similar pages

Bill's Big Diamond Blog: The McCain Campaign Strategy: Go Negative ...Jul 31, 2008 ... Bill's Big Diamond Blog .... Even McCain’s former campaign manager, John Weaver, ... Mr. McCain’s campaign is now under the leadership ...
billsrants.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/07/the-mccain-camp.html - 51k - Cached - Similar pages

BuzzFlash.net - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude ...A longtime political patron, Mr. Diamond is one of the elite fund-raisers Mr. McCain’s current presidential campaign calls Innovators, having raised more ...
www.buzzflash.net/index.php?page=2&search=tag:diamond+and+mcsame - 24k - Cached - Similar pages

John McCain quiz -- chicagotribune.com15. How did McCain help Donald Diamond, a wealthy Arizona real estate developer, close friend and political donor? A. Let Diamond drive the campaign bus ...
www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-mccain-quiz,0,3976020.triviaquiz - 108k - Cached - Similar pages

Faithful Progressive: McCain Ties to Developer Donald R. Diamond ...Donald R. Diamond, get to know that name. He is a wealthy Arizona real estate developer and close friend fund raiser of Senator John McCain. ...
faithfulprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/04/mccain-ties-to-developer-donald-r.html - 24k - Cached - Similar pages

TPMMuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Today's Must ReadApr 22, 2008 ... The main thrust is this: on a number of key occasions, McCain played a key role in helping Diamond, a major campaign contributor, ...
tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/todays_must_read_322.php - 26k - Cached - Similar pages

Donald Diamond, McCain’s Real Estate Benefactor » Oliver WillisWhen Mr. Diamond wanted to buy land at the base, Fort Ord, Mr. McCain assigned an aide who set up a meeting at the Pentagon and later stepped in again to ...
www.oliverwillis.com/2008/04/22/donald-diamond-mccains-real-estate-benefactor/ - 106k - Cached - Similar pages

A Developer, His Deals and His Ties to McCain - New York TimesApr 22, 2008 ... Mr. Diamond has raised more than $250000 so far for Mr. McCain’s ... In Arizona, Mr. McCain has helped Mr. Diamond with matters as small as ...
www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/us/politics/22diamond.html - Similar pages



McCain: Meet Donald Diamond - First Read - msnbc.comApr 22, 2008 ... McCain: Meet Donald Diamond. Posted: Tuesday, April 22, ... When Mr. Diamond wanted to buy land at the base, Fort Ord, Mr. McCain assigned ...
firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/22/930277.aspx - 45k - Cached - Similar pages

[EV_Ares]

7. Whoa, thanks Gabi, there has been a lot on this, I remember something about it but if I was

McCain I wouldn't want to push too much as this has the appearance of something a lot closer and dirtier once you get into it. He certainly did a favor and pulled some strings, Mr. Straight-Shooter did. Also, there is the Keating thing as well to add to it.

[Gabi Hayes]

8. all decent articles on Keating 5 eventually lead back here:

http://graphics.boston.com/news/politics/campaign2000/news/Pluck_leaks_helped_senator_to_overcome_S_L_scandal+.shtml

you won't find much else.....least I couldn't

McCain gets a free pass from most of the media on this

you might check about Amy Silverman, who probably knows more about MCC than any other journalist

here's a sort of culmination of her years of research on this "man of honor"

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2008-08-07/news/postmodern-mccain-the-john-mccain-some-arizonans-know-and-loathe/

[Gabi Hayes]

11. Phoenix New Times McCain resource page

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/mccain

[seasat]

6. Here's the link to the article in the NY Times too.

I posted it the other day and agree that we really need to resurrect this story.

Vixengrl posted a link in that thread to a Washington Post story about McCain's favors for another set of Arizona developers.

Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers].
...
When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal.
...
In the late 1990s, McCain promoted a deal in Arizona's Tonto National Forest involving property part-owned by Great American Life Insurance, a company run by billionaire Carl H. Lindner Jr., a prolific contributor to national political parties and presidential candidates.
...
"When the public trust intersects with private interests, basically, he has favored land development . . . in every case," said Rob Smith, director of the Sierra Club's Arizona affiliate.

It plays to the McCain's mansions. Donald Diamond has bundled over $500k for McCain's presidential campaign. I also wonder if there are any ties between McCain's real estate dealing and these developers that he's done huge favors for?

[Gabi Hayes]

12. did you notice the reference to Carl Linder? not ONE mention of his nefarious activities, inluding

being Keating's mentor, basically, or that his "prolific campaign contributions" were ALWAYS to pugs, his connections ALWAYS to pugs and the CIA

he's a very very very bad man; MUCH worse than Keating, even:

http://www.thelangreport.com/featured/carl-linder-funds-terrorist-group-and-john-mccain/


Carl Linder Funds Terrorist Group and John McCain
By Michael Lang on Jul 3, 2008 in Featured

Carl H. Lindner Jr., the co-host of a recent top-dollar fundraiser for Sen. john mccain oversaw the payment of roughly $1.7 million to a Colombian paramilitary group that is today designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

The Cincinnati billionaire businessman, was CEO of Chiquita Brands International from 1984 to 2001, and remained on the company’s board of directors until May 2002. Beginning under his tenure, Chiquita executives paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (known by the Spanish acronym AUC), which is described by George Washington University’s National Security Archive as an "illegal right-wing anti-guerrilla group tied to many of the country’s most notorious civilian massacres."

Following a Justice Department indictment last year, Chiquita admitted to illegally funding the paramilitaries and agreed to pay a $25 million fine. Chiquita’s payments to the AUC began in 1997 and lasted seven years; roughly half of the funds came after the group was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department in 2001.

According to the Justice Department, the payments "were reviewed and approved by senior executives" of Chiquita, who knew by no later than September 2000 "that the AUC was a violent, paramilitary organization."

Late last week, Lindner co-hosted a $25,000-per-person fundraiser for McCain and the Republican Party in the wealthy Indian Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. The event raised about $2 million; Lindner also serves on McCain’s Ohio Victory Team.

[seasat]

13. That's a good catch.

Linder's name was familiar but I didn't place him with the swift boaters and the Colombian Chiquita deals. McCain's got a network of these corrupt folks behind him. Just like Bush had oil companies, McCain seems to be financed by shady real estate investors.

[Gabi Hayes]

14. Lindner's even worse ties to Central America:

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Transnational_corps/ChiquitaBanana.html

remember the lawsuit they won against the Cincinatti Enquirer, involving 'illegally acquired internal memos?'

that's your RW judiciary system

you can't get a version of that story anymore, from what I've seen

ancillary lawsuits abound