McCain Seeks to Prevent Lease of Boeing 767s

Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who led congressional scrutiny of a stalled $23.5-billion Boeing Co. tanker deal, will offer an amendment to revoke a law authorizing the Pentagon to lease Boeing 767s, his office said Tuesday.

Senators will consider the amendment when they resume work next week on a bill to authorize spending on Defense Department programs. An aide to McCain said the amendment would prevent the Pentagon from leasing 20 767s as aerial refueling tankers until two reports -- a formal analysis of the alternatives and a mobility capability study -- are completed in November.

McCain also will offer four additional amendments that would implement recommendations made recently by the Pentagon Inspector General’s office and a Defense Science Board task force, which were highly critical of the Air Force’s handling of the tanker negotiations with Boeing.

The Pentagon halted the deal in December after Boeing fired its chief financial officer, Michael Sears, and a former top Air Force official, Darleen Druyun, for negotiating a job for Druyun while she was still at the Air Force. Boeing has said it still expects to win a deal to supply 100 767s to the Pentagon.