The McCain campaign, meanwhile, is facing new scrutiny over a top official’s ties to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The investigative journalist Murray Waas has revealed the head of McCain’s presidential transition team took part in a lobbying effort to lift the US-backed sanctions imposed on Iraq after the first Gulf War. The lobbyist, William Timmons, worked closely with two other lobbyists later convicted for acting as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein’s government. Timmons helped the lobbyists on a deal that would have granted a contract to resell Iraqi oil. Timmons stood to share a $45 million windfall if the deal was approved. Timmons reportedly consulted on public talking points and lobbying strategies with top Iraqi officials, including former deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.