McCain friend/ campaign aid Renzi was indicted on 35 counts of extortion

[quickerthanmost]

Rep. Rick Renzi (AZ01) has been in the news for a land deal scandal since 2005, when he introduced a land swap bill in Congress that made his business partner and major campaign donor James Sandlin rich.

After the FBI investigation into Renzi was first reported in October 2006, McCain vouched for Renzi’s “integrity” in a robo-call to Arizona voters:

This is Senator John McCain. I’m calling to urge you to support my friend, Representative Rick Renzi for Congress. Rick has represented the first district of Arizona with tenacity, honesty and integrity beyond reproach.


McCain honored Renzi by putting him on the National Campaign Committee for his Presidential campaign and making him a co-chair of his Arizona Leadership Team.

In February 2008, Renzi was indicted on 35 counts of extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other crimes, but McCain refused to remove him from his campaign committee, saying "it doesn't matter" because Renzi is presumed innocent