Report: McCain Took Cablevision Money

A group closely tied to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) accepted $200,000 in donations from Cablevision Systems Corp., The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The money went to a tax-exempt campaign finance reform group that McCain co-founded, called The Reform Institute, the AP said.

The AP quoted specialists on political ethics who said the Cablevision donations created the appearance of a possible conflict of interest. According to the AP, McCain said he saw nothing wrong with the campaign reform group raising money from Cablevision, because the donations did not go to his re-election campaign.

Cablevision spokesman Charles Schueler said the company's chairman, Charles Dolan, "is a longtime supporter of Sen. McCain. Our experience has been that Sen. McCain makes up his own mind on every issue," Schueler said. "Over the years he has disagreed with some of our positions, agreed with others and been indifferent to most."

McCain's office declined comment late Tuesday.