McCain Campaign Manager's Firm Getting Paid by Freddie Mac

The New York Times reported yesterday McCain Aide’s Firm Was Paid by Freddie Mac Through August.

McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis has been getting $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac since the end of 2005. The payments stopped last month as a result of the government takeover. Why did he get this money (or actually his firm, Davis Manafort, got the money while he's on leave, but he still benefits as an equity holder in the firm)?

"They [Davis Manafort] said they did not recall Mr. Davis’s doing much substantive work for the company in return for the money, other than to speak to a political action committee of high-ranking employees in October 2006 on the approaching midterm Congressional elections. They said Mr. Davis’s firm, Davis Manafort, had been kept on the payroll because of his close ties to Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, who by 2006 was widely expected to run again for the White House."

Yup, McCain is so against lobbyists, he just wants his aides paid under the table for no public reason. Put another way...

“John McCain's campaign manager and Freddie Mac had what amounts to a secret half a million dollar lay-a-way plan,” said David Donnelly, director of Campaign Money Watch. “For almost three years and as late as last month, Freddie Mac made secret, monthly payments of $15,000 to Rick Davis’s firm for a no-show job, apparently in exchange for providing special access to a future McCain White House.

Now Mr. Straight Talk, what are you going to do about it? Anything more than this? Here's a statement from the McCain campaign.

Ben Smith in Politico calls them on it: "The statement is basically a non-denial. Part of its focus is to dispute the Times's suggestion that Davis's ownership of Davis Manafort means that he benefits even if he's on leave of absence. There are reasonable arguments on both sides there. The statement also argues that the Times tilts toward the Democrat, and makes guesses about the paper's motives, all reasonable and arguable. What the statement doesn't dispute is the actual news in the story: the $15,000 monthly payments from Freddie Mac, which began while Davis was still running the firm. "