Mac Boosted Top Backer's Land Swap

Donor who raised $100K to enjoy biggest Ariz. exchange ever

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted May 9, 2008 10:15 AM CDT

(Newser) – John McCain fought successfully for a bill to swap an Arizona rancher’s remote forest holdings for expensive, development-ready federal land in a deal that benefits one of Mac’s biggest campaign fundraisers, the Washington Post reports. The 55,000-acre swap, said to be Arizona's biggest ever, led to a deal for Steve Betts, the McCain donor, to build 12,000 homes on the site.

Though Betts says there’s “absolutely no” link, he got the contract after the rancher hired lobbyists who were longtime confidants of McCain. Betts, who has raised more than $100,000 for Mac, is one of a “string of donors who have benefited from McCain-engineered land swaps,” the Post reports. One opponent of the legislation claims the senator shared doubts about the deal at the time, “but somehow…kept pushing it forward”; he was eventually the key player in achieving its passage, the Post says.

Prescott National Forest ((c) poweron)

Republic presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Arizona Sheriff: Mexican Smugglers Set Fire

His comments back John McCain; he's not referring to big Wallow Fire

(NEWSER) - An Arizona sheriff has backed up John McCain and blamed Mexican drug smugglers for starting at least one of the state's raging wildfires. Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever wasn't referring to the enormous Wallow Fire but to a smaller one called the Monument Fire that has burned up 27,000 acres to date near the US-Mexico border, reports Reuters . "It wasn't the rabbits or the rattle snakes that started this fire, it was human beings, and the only human beings believed to be occupying (the area) were smugglers," he said today. More»

McCain, Brewer Win in Arizona

GOP incumbents cruise to victory

(NEWSER) - John McCain has cruised to victory in Arizona, easily defeating conservative challenger JD Hayworth. The Republican now looks to set to win a fifth term in the US Senate, the AP reports. McCain looked vulnerable to anti-incumbent sentiment early in the campaign but fought back by shifting to the rights on issues including immigration and spending over $20 million on campaign ads. More»

JD Hayworth Starred in 'Free Gov't Money' Infomercial

McCain camp says ad was for 'obvious rip-off scam'

(NEWSER) - You have to love fiscal conservatives like JD Hayworth—you know, the kind who go on TV at 2am to tell you about the billions of dollars the federal government is just dying to give away. In 2007, soon after losing his House seat, Hayworth starred in an infomercial for the National Grants Conferences, which promised to give people information on how to get “FREE MONEY” from government grants, Talking Points Memo reports. More»

1,200 National Guard Troops Heading to Mexico Border

Obama trying to woo GOP on immigration reform

(NEWSER) - President Obama is trying to prove to skeptical Republicans that he's willing to get tough on border security. In exchange, he wants their help passing immigration reform this year. In a visit to Capitol Hill today, Obama told GOP lawmakers that he will deploy 1,200 National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border and seek $500 million in additional funds for related security, reports the Arizona Daily Star . More»

McCain Tests Wings as Border Hawk

....But will the latest reincarnation win votes?

(NEWSER) - Locked in a death struggle with immigration uber-hawk JD Hayworth, McCain has become a kind of born-again illegal immigration foe, loudly supporting enhanced border security, and Arizona's tough new illegal immigration law, the Washington Times reports. “We do have an obligation to secure our borders so that our citizens are not threatened,” he said in a recent interview. “Now our job is to make sure that no citizen will have their rights threatened, no matter what their ethnic background.” More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Mac Boosted Top Backer's Land Swap

Donor who raised $100K to enjoy biggest Ariz. exchange ever

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

John McCain • Arizona • lobbyists • Steven Betts

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Arizona Sheriff: Mexican Smugglers Set Fire

His comments back John McCain; he's not referring to big Wallow Fire

McCain, Brewer Win in Arizona

GOP incumbents cruise to victory

JD Hayworth Starred in 'Free Gov't Money' Infomercial

McCain camp says ad was for 'obvious rip-off scam'

1,200 National Guard Troops Heading to Mexico Border

Obama trying to woo GOP on immigration reform

McCain Tests Wings as Border Hawk

....But will the latest reincarnation win votes?

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Mac Boosted Top Backer's Land Swap

Donor who raised $100K to enjoy biggest Ariz. exchange ever

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

John McCain • Arizona • lobbyists • Steven Betts

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Arizona Sheriff: Mexican Smugglers Set Fire

His comments back John McCain; he's not referring to big Wallow Fire

McCain, Brewer Win in Arizona

GOP incumbents cruise to victory

JD Hayworth Starred in 'Free Gov't Money' Infomercial

McCain camp says ad was for 'obvious rip-off scam'

1,200 National Guard Troops Heading to Mexico Border

Obama trying to woo GOP on immigration reform

McCain Tests Wings as Border Hawk

....But will the latest reincarnation win votes?

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?