Posted on 01/24/2008 8:08:30 PM PST by jdm
A top political adviser in Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign helped arrange an introduction in 2006 between McCain and a Russian billionaire whose suspected links to anti-democratic and organized-crime figures are so controversial that the U.S. government revoked his visa.
Rick Davis, who is now McCain's campaign manager, helped set up the encounter between McCain and Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska in Switzerland during an international economic conference. At the time, Davis was working for a lobbying firm and seeking to do business with the billionaire.
There is no evidence that McCain did anything for Deripaska after they met at a social gathering over drinks and dinner. Deripaska was grateful for the introduction, writing a thank-you note to Davis and his partner and offering to assist them in a subsequent business deal, according to a copy of the note obtained by The Washington Post.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
What this article says to me is that McCain’s “pals” in the Washington press corps aren’t even waiting for him to get the nomination before they start plunging the daggers in his back. For all McCain’s peccadilloes (real and imagined), this is nothing but a low grade smear masquerading as a “news” item.
(snip) This is not the first time that Oleg Deripaska, the owner of RusAl aluminum giant, is being accused of ordering international espionage, computer hacking, wiretapping and subversion against his rivals or former partners. In 2006 a London High Court claim was brought by Ansol Company and its consultants, Ashton Investments. Deripaska's RusAl and Ansol were formerly partners in a joint venture to supply alumina to TadAZ, a smelter in Tajikistan. Ashton alleged that in January 2006 it discovered its computer had been hacked. That "netspionage" was traced back to IP addresses registered to Rusal.
Deripaska denied the allegations, but the British court found the computer forensic evidence convincing and Deriapska hurried to settle with Ansol out of court...
(/snip)-------- Israel Police: Oleg Deripaska Wiretapped Chernoy, Lieberman By Isadore Levy Israel News Agency November 20, 2007
It makes you wonder what kind of relationship Davis had in mind between McCain and these guys.
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