Lobbyist Suing 'Times' Over McCain Link Story

Remember that over-baked, under-stuffed article The New York Times ran way back in February about the relationship between John McCain and a female lobbyist? The one that hinted heavily, but never quite said, that the two had an an affair? The one that inaugurated months of fractious relations between the Republican candidate and the nation's most important newspaper?

Well, it may end up costing the Times more than just some credibility. Vicki Iseman, the lobbyist in question, is suing the paper for $27 million, saying the quadruple-byline article defamed her. She filed suit today in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va.

It's not going to help the paper that its own public editor, Clark Hoyt, savaged the article in his column: "[I]f a newspaper is going to suggest an improper sexual affair, whether editors think that is the central point or not, it owes readers more proof than The Times was able to provide."

Here's the statement I got from the Times:

We fully stand behind the article. We continue to believe it to be true and accurate, and that we will prevail. As we said at the time, it was an important piece that raised questions about a presidential contender and the perception that he had been engaged in conflicts of interest.

Earlier: How the Times blew it on McCain Ethics Story.