Nonprofit Group Draws Scrutiny for Political Activity

A nonprofit group in Washington is drawing attention for its ties to the campaign of Sen. John McCain, The Washington Post reports.

The newspaper says concerns about improper political activity by nonprofit groups are gaining attention as the presidential contest heats up.

Citizens Against Government Waste has been running ads that take a similar position to those advanced by Mr. McCain, the newspaper says. The group is defending the view that the Air Force made a wise choice in awarding Northrop Grumman and its European partner a $40-billion contract for refueling tankers.

Although it never explicitly mentioned Mr. McCain’s name, the group’s willingness to run advertisements defending the deal has offered the candidate its indirect support at no cost to his campaign.

“This is the public-relations equivalent of air cover: You saturate debate with your rhetoric so people start talking about your message and stop talking about McCain. It’s a classic third-party technique,” said Sheldon Rampton, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy.

The McCain campaign and Citizens Against Government Waste deny any cooperation.

The group’s lobbying arm, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has twice supported Mr. McCain for president, increasing speculation about whether a candidate for public office is benefiting improperly from the group’s activity. “The question is: What is lobbying and what is campaign intervention?” said Frances R. Hill, a law professor at the University of Miami who specializes in the intersection between charities and politics.

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