John Mccain’s romance with Vicki Iseman was one of the more dramatic scandals of the presidential campaign.
John Sidney McCain III was an American statesman, politician, and US Navy officer who served as Arizona’s United States Senator from 1987 to 2018.
McCain’s early military career began in Pensacola, Florida, when he was commissioned as an ensign & started two and a half years of training to become a navy pilot.
What Happened Between John McCain And Lobbyist Vicki Iseman?
According to The New York Times, Vicki Iseman began visiting John McCain’s offices and campaign events so frequently in 2000 that his advisers were convinced the relationship had become amorous. One of the employees allegedly wondered why she was there.
Staff aides were also worried that the letters McCain wrote to government regulators on Iseman’s behalf would garner negative media attention, especially since McCain’s campaign is based on his probity and included proposals for more stringent lobbying regulations in the United States, according to The New York Times.
Iseman claimed she was never given special treatment by McCain’s office, and McCain claimed he never showed favoritism to Iseman or her clients. “I have never betrayed the people trust by doing anything like that,” he said during a phone call with Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times.
The Times article made no mention of an affair. Daniel Schnur, McCain’s 2000 communications director who has no current ties to the campaign, called The Times’ claim “extremely improbable.”
John McCain & Vicki Iseman Affair And Controversy Explained
During a 2009, interview on The Early Show, Vicki Iseman spoke out personally against The New York Times piece for the first time, vehemently denying having an affair with McCain. She criticized the way the story was handled, saying the newspaper became “out of control” in its efforts to prove it was true.
She also claimed that the entire story appeared to be based on a single source, whom she identified as McCain political consultant John Weaver, who she claimed was offended when Iseman critiqued a speech Weaver may have written.
Weaver, who was quoted in the original Times story as saying he met with Iseman after concerns about her presence in the campaign were raised, previously stated that he would not speak to the paper without approval from the McCain campaign.
Who Is Vicki Iseman?
Vicki Iseman works as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. for the firm Iseman & Szelinga. She rose to public prominence in February 2008 as a lobbyist for the firm Alcalde & Fay, following her involvement in the John McCain lobbying scandal.
She attended Homer-Center High School in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and graduated as a cheerleader and member of the student council in 1985. She continued her education at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1990.
She also delivered the commencement address at her old high school in 2006, and she has advocated for both that institution and her alma mater throughout her career.