By Julie Mason
Examiner White House Correspondent
The New York Times never actually said John McCain had an affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman in their curious Feb. 21 2008 front page story — but Iseman certainly thought it was implied.
She sued the paper for $27 million in December, claiming the story “falsely communicated” an improper relationship. The piece, also denounced at the time by McCain, cited “several aides” who worried the senator was too close to the lobbyist.
The New York Times announced a settlement Thursday — no money for Iseman, and no apology from the newspaper. Notes Editor and Publisher:
Washington Bureau Chief Dean Baquet told staffers in a memo Thursday that the settlement essentially vindicates the Times’ reporting, noting to them that “We paid no money. We did not apologize. We did not retract one word of the story, which was a compelling chapter in the tale of Senator John McCain and his political rise.”
