Democrat: McCain should cancel Reed fundraiser

The Democratic chairman of the congressional committee charged with investigating government corruption said Friday that presidential hopeful John McCain should cancel Monday’s Atlanta fund-raiser because of contributions raised by Ralph Reed.

“Here is somebody who ought to clearly be disqualified based on Sen. McCain’s standards he set for himself, as well as the fact that Sen. McCain has done an investigation that must have led him to understand how deeply Ralph Reed was involved with Jack Abramoff,” U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, told reporters in a conference call.

Abramoff is the disgraced former lobbyist now serving six years in prison for corruption and other charges. He was the centerpiece of a major investigation led by McCain in his role as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition, helped Abramoff’s Indian tribe clients mobilize opposition to a competing casino.

While Reed was never charged in the scandal, the controversy helped kill his bid for the 2006 Georgia GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

Last week, Reed sent an e-mail to supporters asking them to contribute to Monday’s McCain event. In the e-mail, Reed says he has joined the “McCain Victory 2008” team and encourages recipients to send McCain contributions directly to him.

McCain’s campaign said that Reed is not involved in their Georgia operation and has no role in Monday’s event.

Reed told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the same thing.

In a statement e-mailed to the AJC Friday, Reed said: “I have no official role or position in the McCain campaign and am not seeking one. I merely sent out an email with pro forma language used by anyone asking others to support Senator McCain. The personal attacks by the Obama campaign are absurd.”

Waxman said McCain should cancel the Atlanta event, “return any money raised from it already, and explain what role Ralph Reed plays in his campaign and why.”

When asked whether he believed McCain personally knew that Reed was raising money for him, Waxman said it didn’t matter.

“Sen. McCain has an obligation to be informed by his staff if he doesn’t already know that this fellow who has been disgraced and scandalized is involved,” Waxman said.