Lede: John McCain helped a French company take a U.S. Air Force contract from an American company. Doug Cunningham reports.

By Doug Cunningham

Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain helped give a $35 billion Air Force refueling tanker contract to a French company, costing as many as 44,000 good U.S. jobs. Paul Shearon is Secretary-Treasurer of the IFTPE, a union representing 20,000 Boeing workers.

[Shearon]: “One of the changes that he asked for is that they withdraw from their requirement the concern over the Airbus aircraft being subsidized by the European governments. And that was taken out of the proposal as a result of his influence. At that time, John McCain on his own staff had lobbyists who worked for EADS and also had them working on his campaign staff. It is outrageous that U.S. tax dollars are spent and the consideration that those tax dollars wouldn’t be used to be floated back into the U.S. economy and instead be sent over to Europe which really does stimulate their economy – it’s an outrage.”

Shearon says the Air Force awarding of the multi-billion dollar contract to a French company chooses the more expensive, less capable aircraft while undermining the U.S. economy and free trade laws. The General Accounting Office last week said the Air Force bidding process was “flawed” and recommend that it be re-bid, giving Boeing another shot at keeping the $35 billion contract in the U.S.