John McCain on Wednesday contradicted the Senate's top Democrat Harry Reid, who said the Republican presidential hopeful would support a 700 billion dollar Wall Street bailout.
McCain met his top economic advisors in New York as he and Democratic rival Barack Obama picked their way through the political minefield sown by President George W. Bush's massive rescue package.
He was asked by reporters about comments in which Senate Majority leader Reid said he had received "good news" that the Arizona senator was committed to supporting the bailout.
"I did not say that," said McCain, who has warned the oversight provisions in the package are insufficient and spoken out against the notion of rewarding disgraced Wall Street tycoons with taxpayer handouts.
The Hill newspaper, which covers Congress, quoted Reid as saying late Tuesday that McCain would back the package, which is running into trouble on both sides of the political aisle on Capitol Hill.
"I got some good news in the last hour or so -- it appears that Senator McCain is going to come out for this," Reid was quoted as saying.
McCain has so far refused to publicly say whether he will support or oppose the final bailout plan in the Senate, even as he has made his objections to the package clear.
The Bush administration plan puts the presidential candidates in a tricky spot.
They might pay a price for opposing a plan which could stabilize financial markets and thus the pension savings of many Americans, but do not want to be seen to be rewarding corporate bosses as voters feel the economic pinch.
McCain gathered his top advisors in a New York hotel at the start of a day which includes several meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly here.
By his side was Mitt Romney, the business executive and former Massachusetts governor whom he defeated in a sometimes bitter Republican primary election campaign. Former eBay boss Meg Whitman was also among advisors in the meeting.
McCain declined to answer a question about whether advisors, some of whom are former high-powered executives, shared his opposition to "golden parachutes" for Wall Street tycoons.
"I think this group of people here is as knowledgeable on the financial status of America as any group of Americans that I can find," McCain said.
"I am grateful for their advice and counsel."
