Records cast doubts on McCain campaign's claims about Scheunemann's lobbying

As I noted in my last post, the McCain campaign deigned to talk to the Associated Press about top foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann's ties to influence peddler Stephen Payne and his passel of dubious companies.

On Monday, the McCain campaign said that from 2002 to 2006, Scheunemann periodically engaged in consulting relationships with the two companies and that Scheunemann was never on the payroll of either firm, but that he was an occasional outside expert consultant.

Scheunemann did not lobby on any specific legislation on behalf of Worldwide Strategic Partners, said McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers.

In regard to Caspian Alliance, Scheunemann arranged several informational meetings for Payne with Department of State and NSC officials following Caspian energy issues, but Scheunemann did not lobby on specific legislation or projects, said Rogers.

Scheunemann did not lobby McCain on Caspian energy issues or any other issue related to Payne, the McCain campaign spokesman added. [AP]

Public records show that Scheunemann was a registered lobbyist for the International Business & Energy Development Group, which has the same Texas address as Worldwide Strategic Partners. In this capacity, he lobbied for "S. 1465, Bill authorizing the President to provide assistance to Pakistan and India through September 30, 2003."

The Caspian Alliance also lobbied for specific legislation during the time that Scheunemann worked for them. In 2005, the Caspian Alliance lobbied for the Silk Road Energy Strategy Act, for example.

It should also be noted that the Caspian Alliance is a subsidiary of Stephen Payne's Worldwide Strategic Energy, and that Scheunemann is listed as a member of WSE's executive team in WSE's official literature.

The McCain campaign has not addressed what ties, if any, Scheunemann still has to WSE or any of Payne's other companies.

Of course, we already know that Scheunemann lobbied McCain staff on behalf of the Republic of Georgia while he was working for the campaign.

[Original reporting, please credit Lindsay Beyerstein.]