WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain said Tuesday that his inquiries into a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract were designed to ensure evenhanded bidding and denied they were motivated by lobbyists who are close advisers to his presidential campaign.
“I had nothing to do with the contract, except to insist in writing, on several occasions, as this process went forward, that it be fair and open and transparent,” he said at a meeting with voters in St. Louis.
McCain’s remarks came after The Associated Press reported that some of his current advisers lobbied last year for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., the parent company of plane maker Airbus. EADS and its U.S. partner Northrop Grumman Corp. beat Boeing Co. for the lucrative aerial refueling contract.
Boeing on Tuesday filed a formal protest of the tanker award with the Government Accountability Office, citing “irregularities” in the contract competition.
