McCain move favors Ariz. developer

GLENDALE, Ariz., May 16 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., helped guarantee funds for an action that helped a developer whose top employees donated money to his campaign, records show.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee included $14.3 million in a defense bill five years ago to purchase property near Arizona's Luke Air Force Base in a deal pursued by SunCor Development, USA Today reported Friday.

SunCor workers, irritated with state regulation that limited building near Luke, held talks with McCain's employees to ask for federal funds, said John Ogden, SunCor's then president.

USA Today said the Air Force gave SunCor $3 million for 122 acres of land around Luke, the most expensive purchase of the private properties by federal officials.

Public records indicate SunCor contributed an additional 122 acres.

Alan Bunnell, a spokesman for Pinnacle West Capital, SunCor's parent company, said the additional contribution was intended to lessen the company's tax expenses and increase the worth of nearby land.