RICHMOND, Va. — A Washington lobbyist sued The New York Times for $27 million Tuesday over an article that she says gave the false impression she had an affair with Sen. John McCain in 1999. The Times maintained its defense of the story in a statement Tuesday.

Vicki Iseman filed the defamation suit in U.S. District Court in Richmond. The article said that both McCain and Iseman denied any romantic relationship, but the lawsuit says most readers would find that obligatory. Iseman’s lawyer said she waited until after the presidential election to file the suit because she didn’t want it to become a distraction.

— From wire reports