ABC's Tapper: McCain is "such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher"

Summary: Discussing a recent report by Citizens Against Government Waste detailing wasteful government spending or so-called "pork," ABC News Washington correspondent Jake Tapper claimed on Good Morning America that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "is such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher." Tapper apparently overlooked a bill recently introduced by McCain asking for $10 million in federal money to establish a law center in his home state as a tribute to the late U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.

Discussing a recent report by Citizens Against Government Waste detailing wasteful government spending or so-called "pork," ABC News Washington correspondent Jake Tapper claimed on the April 5 edition of ABC's Good Morning America that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is "such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher."

In recalling McCain's much-invoked reputation as a reformer, Tapper apparently overlooked, among other things, a recent bill introduced by McCain calling for a total of $10 million in federal money to establish a law center at a university in Arizona as a tribute to the late Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. As The New York Times reported on February 18, critics have argued that McCain's bill is a "classic" pork-barrel project that "funnel[s] money directly to a home-state institution for a project that should find financing elsewhere."

From the April 5 edition of ABC's Good Morning America:

TAPPER: The biggest per-capita porkers who say they're merely advocating for their constituents are Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska. Perennial favorite Bob Byrd of West Virginia came in fourth behind Washington D.C. After all, almost a half a million dollars has been allocated for flowers and foliage to spruce up the Capitol. Senator John McCain, such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher, is outraged but not surprised.

—B.A.