McAuliffe Denies DNC Offered Money to Nader

Ralph Nader's claim that then-DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe offered him cash to stay out of key state races in 2004 is far from the truth, McAuliffe campaign strategist Mo Elleithee tells the Blue Virginia blog. McAuliffe did speak to Nader—who Elleithee claims was being funded by the GOP—to try to convince him not to run, or at least not to compete in battleground states, the strategist acknowledges. But all Nader was offered, he says, was a chance to push his issues via the DNC surrogate operation.

"He made the case that if Nader truly cared about these issues, he was putting it all at risk by again potentially handing the election to Bush," said Elleithee, who is now running McAuliffe's campaign for Virginia governor. "He never offered him any money." Nader, Elleithee says, "has a history of frivolous attacks and accusations" and is now just hungry for headlines.
(More Ralph Nader stories.)