Drudge retracts “Dean supported Landrieu” story

Drudge reported on Sunday via an anonymous source that DNC Chair Howard Dean secretly supported Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu over incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin in the mayoral election there – in his story was also the allegation that Dean had sent “political operatives” to New Orleans to work against Nagin’s re-election efforts.

Drudge has now retracted his story:

DNC: DRUDGE IS DEAD WRONG, WE DID NOT PICK LANDRIEU OVER NAGIN

The Democratic National Committee strongly denies it placed political operatives in the city of New Orleans to work against the reelection efforts of incumbent Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin.

Well-placed DRUDGE REPORT sources claimed DNC Chairman Howard Dean made the decision to back mayoral candidate and sitting Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (D-LA).

The DNC says the report is “unequivocally and absolutely false.”

DNC Communications director Karen Finney explained: “The DNC does not as a policy get involved in Democratic primaries… The only thing that the DNC did was a campaign helping ensure that displaced voters had an opportunity to vote.”

The DRUDGE REPORT takes chairman Dean and his spokesman at their word.

You don’t see that from Drudge often. Dean and Co. must have put some powerful pressure on him to retract it.

Makes sense: Dean isn’t particularly well known for taking a stand against racist black Democrats – why would he start now?