Mark Sanders, J. D. Hayworth’s spokesman, tells National Review Online that Hayworth “has no reason to regret” the ad he made for the National Grants Conference:

Just after his ‘06 re-election bid ended in defeat, Hayworth appeared in a video for the National Grants Conference, a program promising to teach viewers how to secure government grants. Hayworth is introduced as a former member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
“It’s not free money. It’s your money. It’s money you’ve already surrendered to the government in terms of taxation, but the government has the chance — and you have the chance — to make an investment in yourself,” Hayworth says of the grants. “It’s something you should take advantage of.”

“The way this started was through his former colleague in the House, J. C. Watts. He had done an infomercial for them and said J. D. should, too. So, based on his friend’s recommendation, he did the ad,” Sanders says. “Nothing ever came of it until last week, when John McCain’s people started a whisper campaign. What the McCain team has not told is that McCain himself took a $9,400 contribution from Michael Milin, the head of the National Grants Conference, in 2008.” Sanders adds that Hayworth “does not remember” how much he made for the ad and that he has “no opinion” on its content.

Team McCain responds to the charge:

Brian Rogers of the McCain campaign said, “We actually donated the money to charity as soon as we found out about it. Sen. McCain had more than 1.5 million donors and raised $400 million in 2008.”
There’s no comparison to be made, said Rogers: “Let’s be clear: JD Hayworth lent his name and the his credibility as a former Member of the U.S. Congress to help an obvious rip-off scam. Sen. McCain never did.”