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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| McCain denies lobbyist allegation | McCain denies lobbyist allegation |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Republican White House hopeful John McCain has rejected a newspaper report that suggested he had an inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist. | |
| Mr McCain said the New York Times's claim that close ties to the lobbyist had led him to favour her clients were false and she was "a friend". | |
| Speaking in Ohio with wife Cindy by his side, he said: "I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true." | Speaking in Ohio with wife Cindy by his side, he said: "I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true." |
| The claims date to early in Mr McCain's failed presidential campaign in 2000. | The claims date to early in Mr McCain's failed presidential campaign in 2000. |
| According to the New York Times, his close ties with the telecommunications lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, caused concern among his aides. | |
| She accompanied him to fundraising events, visited his offices and travelled with him on a client's corporate jet, the paper said. | |
| Quoting an anonymous source, the article claimed that Mr McCain's advisers instructed staff members to block the woman's access, "privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him". | |
| Public trust | |
| The Washington Post, in a follow-up article, quoted former McCain campaign aide John Weaver as saying that he had urged Ms Iseman to stay away from Mr McCain. | |
| Mr McCain and Ms Iseman have denied ever having a romantic relationship. Mr McCain said he was unaware of having had any conversation with Mr Weaver on the subject. | |
| Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference in Toledo, Ohio, Mr McCain said he had done nothing that would conflict with his ethical standards. | |
| "At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which would in any way not be in the public interest and would favour anyone and any organisation," he said. | |
| He said he would continue to focus his election campaign "on the big issues and on the challenges that face this country". | |
| Mr McCain is campaigning in Ohio ahead of a presidential primary contest there on 4 March. | |
| He is the front-runner for the Republican nomination to run for president, with a substantial lead in terms of delegates over his closest rival, Mike Huckabee. |