Mark Buse, the
gay chief of staff for Sen. John McCain, was retained by
failed mortgage giant Freddie Mac in 2003 and 2004 to lobby
McCain. Buse, then the staff director for the Senate
Commerce Committee, was hired by the company to work
with the Arizona senator on executive-pay issues, and
his firm earned $460,000 in fees for the effort, The Washington Post reports.
In 2003, the
Post reports, McCain conducted a Senate hearing
at which he decried the so-called golden parachutes that
executives often receive when they're dismissed, regardless
of their job performance. Soon afterward the president
and CEO of Freddie Mac walked away with $6 million in
stock options and $24 million in compensation,
respectively.
"Senator McCain
was talking about limiting executive compensation, and
Buse was retained to nip that in the bud," an anonymous
lobbyist with knowledge of the situation told the Post.
Buse, who
was a member of McCain's staff for 17
years beginning in 1984 before becoming a
lobbyist, returned to become his chief of staff
this year. He declined to comment to the Post.
McCain campaign
spokesman Brian Rogers denied there was any undue
influence. "I think the reality is that John McCain takes
positions, you know, based on what he believes is in
the public interest, period," Rogers told the
Post. "If these folks thought they were
getting something out of John McCain...it's not based
in fact." (The Advocate)
