Freddie Mac Paid Monthly $15K to McCain Aide's Firm

A firm owned by John McCain's campaign manager received $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac until the mortgage giant was taken over by the government this month, insiders tell the New York Times. McCain insisted just days ago that it's been years since aide Rick Davis had any contact with Freddie Mac.

Davis did little in return for the Freddie Mac cash—but his firm, Davis & Manafort, was kept on the payroll because of his close ties to McCain, sources say. The McCain campaign—which accused the Times of bias for reporting on earlier payments to Davis from Freddie Mac—stressed that Davis was on leave from the firm at the time of the payments, although as a partner he would still have benefited from the income.
(More Rick Davis stories.)