Mark Buse

Mark Buse is John McCain's chief of staff in the U.S. Senate. Buse first worked with McCain in the 1980s as an intern and assistant, and joined as chief of staff in 2008. In the interim, Buse worked as staff director of the Senate Commerce Committee and as a Washington lobbyist.OpenSecrets.org: Mark Buse Employment Timeline

On September 22, 2008, various online sources reported rumors that Buse is gay.The Gist: Hypocrisy Bombshell: Antigay John McCain has Gay Chief of Staff (September 22, 2008) Some of the sources claimed that a public "out"-ing was justified, in order to expose the hypocrisy of McCain's legislative stances on LGBT issues.The Gist: Hypocrisy Bombshell: Antigay John McCain has Gay Chief of Staff (September 22, 2008) Although McCain has voted against amending the Constitution to define marriage as a union of a man and a woman, the senator has supported the Defense of Marriage Act and been opposed to new legislation specifically protecting gays and lesbians from employment discrimination.CNN Election Center: LGBT issues