A mash note from Charles Keating to John McCain

A blog at the Moonie-owned Washington Times has a revealing document from March 1986 showing the extremely close relationship between Charles Keating and then Representative John McCain. That was a year before McCain as a new Senator attended two meetings intended to pressure bank regulators to go easy on Keating's failing bank.

McCain wrote warmly and with deference to Keating about a small matter, and Keating scrawled his response on the letter and sent it back, showing a good deal of familiarity with McCain. In fact, Keating implied that the two of them were practically married to each other.

Here is a jpg of the letter, written on House stationary (perhaps inappropriately) and dated March 5, 1986.

McCain opens with "Dear Charlie" and briefly describes a mix up in which a letter was accidentally sent to Keating identifying him as a member of McCain's Senate campaign finance committee. Then McCain adds:

As you know, I am deeply appreciative of your friendship and support over the years, and I would not want to do anything which would offend you. Please accept my apology, and be assured that there will be no future repetition of this kind.

I will look forward to seeing you soon.

Keating's scrawled response on the letter reads:

John Senator,

Don't be silly. You can call me anything write anything or do anything. I'm yours till death do us part.

Charlie

When the Keating-Five scandal broke, McCain's defense became that Keating was a constituent and McCain had just made an inquiry to bank regulators on his behalf as he would have done for any other constituent. I have to wonder, however, whether all his other constituents in Arizona are on a first-name basis with McCain, or indeed feel bound personally to McCain until death do they part?

crossposted at unbossed.com