McCAIN CAMPAIGN CALLS ON CONGRESSMAN HAYWORTH TO COME CLEAN ON UNDISCLOSED LOBBYING & SECRET CONSULTING WORK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Brian Rogers

Thursday, June 10, 2010 (602) 604-2010

McCAIN CAMPAIGN CALLS ON CONGRESSMAN HAYWORTH TO COME CLEAN ON UNDISCLOSED LOBBYING & SECRET CONSULTING WORK

PHOENIX, AZ -- Arizonans learned this Tuesday – a mere 51 days before primary voting begins – that after Congressman J.D. Hayworth was voted out of office in 2006, he registered as a professional Washington lobbyist, earning thousands of dollars to lobby his former House colleagues on behalf of a Florida company called Wealth Transfer Group.

But even after the McCain campaign revealed Hayworth’s secret past as a corporate lobbyist this week, Hayworth refused to divulge any further information on the matter, leaving many important questions about his past unanswered.In the interest of full disclosure with Arizona voters, the McCain campaign urges Congressman Hayworth to immediately answer the following basic questions:

1. Congressman Hayworth claims he registered as a lobbyist to help out an unnamed “hometown friend.” Who is this friend, and when and how was Congressman Hayworth approached to do this lobbying? What is Congressman Hayworth’s current relationship with this “hometown friend?” Exactly what was Congressman Hayworth asked to accomplish for Wealth Transfer Group?

2. Which of Congressman Hayworth’s former House colleagues, and/or his colleagues' offices and Committees did he lobby, and what did he ask them to do on his client’s behalf? What if any actions did he take on behalf of Wealth Transfer Group?

3. What was the result of Congressman Hayworth’s lobbying efforts, and where does the issue stand today?

4. Did Wealth Transfer Group pay Hayworth for anything other than his lobbying activities? Was Congressman Hayworth given any other asset or monetary reimbursement for doing this work, including any "success fees"?

5. On his lobbying registration forms, Hayworth identifies himself as president of The Great 48th Group,

a company he formed in 2007 – a year before he registered to lobby. Who were The Great 48th Group’s other clients, what did they pay Hayworth to do, what actions did he take on their behalf, and how much did they compensate him for his work? Did Congressman Hayworth do any “consulting work” for this or any other clients that did not trigger the lobbying registration that Hayworth filed?

6. Did Hayworth lobby or consult either for or against any legislation currently pending in Congress? If so, what is his position on that legislation?

In response to Congressman Hayworth’s failure to disclose the details of his activities as a Washington lobbyist, McCain 2010 Communications Director Brian Rogers released the following statement:

“Congressman Hayworth must lift the cloak of secrecy that shrouds his past as a corporate lobbyist and consultant. It took until this Tuesday, just 51 days until Arizonans start voting, for voters to find out that Congressman Hayworth was paid to influence the very same legislative issues he now seeks to vote on as a United States
Senator. What else don’t the voters know about Congressman Hayworth? The people of Arizona deserve to know whether Congressman Hayworth’s votes will be influenced by his financial relationship with unknown companies and special interests. Now is the time for Congressman Hayworth to come completely clean
about the full extent of his business activities after he was voted out of office.” – McCain 2010 Communications Director Brian Rogers