The Iseman settleth: Lobbyist who was subject of McCain affair rumors settles with N.Y. Times

By GottaLaff

Alrighty then:

A Washington lobbyist has settled a libel lawsuit with The New York Times over an article that implied she engaged in a romantic relationship with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), both parties announced Thursday.

Vicki Iseman agreed to end her suit without payment or a retraction from the Times, the newspaper noted in a story on its website.

According to a joint statement announcing the settlement, the newspaper will publish a note on Feb. 20 stating that the Times did not intend to conclude that Iseman “had engaged in a romantic affair with Sen. McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of public trust.” The newspaper will also allow Iseman’s lawyers to offer her views regarding the lawsuit on the Times’s website. [...]

Times Washington Bureau Chief Dean Baquet made a point to his staff in a memo that the newspaper did not have to retract the story.

"Vicki Iseman has dropped her lawsuit against the Times, just weeks after it was filed. We paid no money. We did not apologize," Baquet wrote in a memo to staff. "We did not retract one word of the story, which was a compelling chapter in the tale of Sen. John McCain and his political rise."

We posted about this very story here and here. I'll be waiting for the Showtime mini-series to come out.

H/t: Fernando

The Iseman Sue-eth

By GottaLaff

I'd sue, too, if someone accused me of having the bad taste to boink Gramm-pa:

A Washington lobbyist is suing The New York Times over an article that she says gave the false impression she had an affair with Sen. John McCain in 1999.

Vicki L. Iseman filed the $27 million defamation suit in U.S. District Court in Richmond on Tuesday. It also names as defendants the Times' executive editor, its Washington bureau chief and four reporters. [...]

At the time, McCain denounced the story as false. Iseman also denied it later.

At least Vicki wasn't accused of getting pregnant and selling her baby's photos at an inflated price thanks to her future mother-in-law's drug arrest.