Why wasn't John McCain, tried and Convicted???

[Heather MC]

What's the difference in Ted Stevens Crime? Getting gifts of Home improvements
and John McCain getting 9 free vacation trips for his family and babysitter from Charles Keating?

[kestrel91316]

1. Beats hell out of me.

[NYC_SKP]

2. He blew the whistle, ratted his friends out, cooperated with congress,

cut a deal to save his crooked ass.

"Glenn and McCain: cleared of impropriety but criticized for poor judgment

The Senate Ethics Committee ruled that the involvement of Glenn in the scheme was minimal, and the charges against him were dropped.<55> He was only criticized by the Committee for "poor judgment."<58>

The Ethics Committee ruled that the involvement of McCain in the scheme was also minimal, and he too was cleared of all charges against him.<56><55> McCain was criticized by the Committee for exercising "poor judgment" when he met with the federal regulators on Keating's behalf.<7> The report also said that McCain's "actions were not improper nor attended with gross negligence and did not reach the level of requiring institutional action against him....Senator McCain has violated no law of the United States or specific Rule of the United States Senate."<59> On his Keating Five experience, McCain has said: "The appearance of it was wrong. It's a wrong appearance when a group of senators appear in a meeting with a group of regulators, because it conveys the impression of undue and improper influence. And it was the wrong thing to do."<7>

Regardless of the level of their involvement, both senators were greatly affected by it. McCain would write in 2002 that attending the two April 1987 meetings was "the worst mistake of my life".<60> Glenn has described the Senate Ethics Committee investigation as the low point of his life.<8>

The Senate Ethics Committee did not pursue, for lack of jurisdiction, any possible ethics breaches in McCain's delayed reimbursements to Keating for trips at the latter's expense, because they occurred while McCain was in the House.<57> The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct said that it too lacked jurisdiction, because McCain was no longer in the House.<61> It said it did not require that McCain amend his existing financial disclosure forms for his House years, on the grounds that McCain had now fully reimbursed Keating's company.<61>"

Per Wikipedia "Keating Five"

[Heather MC]

4. So basically he broke the law, but had perfect timing in doing it?

Sheesh!!!

The Senate Ethics Committee did not pursue, for lack of jurisdiction, any possible ethics breaches in McCain's delayed reimbursements to Keating for trips at the latter's expense, because they occurred while McCain was in the House.<57> The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct said that it too lacked jurisdiction, because McCain was no longer in the House.<61> It said it did not require that McCain amend his existing financial disclosure forms for his House years, on the grounds that McCain had now fully reimbursed Keating's company.<61>"

[NYC_SKP]

3. McCain was "the Most Reprehensible" of the five, according to one account.

Wiki:

"McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981,<11> and McCain was the only one of the five with close social and personal ties to Keating.<42><43> Like DeConcini, McCain considered Keating a constituent as he lived in Arizona.<35> Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates.<44> In addition, McCain's wife Cindy McCain and her father Jim Hensley had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard Keating's jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln.<7><45> In 1989 Phoenix New Times writer Tom Fitzpatrick opined that McCain was the "most reprehensible" of the five senators.<46>"

[indepat]

5. Didn't McShame pay for those trips by peddling his influence to the regulators

fbo Keating, like would this not seem to be some quid pro quo? Anyway, we shouldn't concern ourselves with youthful indiscretions provided those indiscreet are 'pukes and even if such indiscretions were committed in mid-life or later. :P