After promoting Obama advisor David Axelrod's nasty attack on Mitt Romney on Wednesday, Thursday's CBS This Morning noticed Romney aide Garrett Jackson denouncing the claim as a complete fabrication, with co-host Norah O'Donnell informing viewers: "Jackson told CBS News, 'I just hope this lie is the work of David Axelrod and not the President. It's ridiculous. I was very disappointed they would make that up.'"
In his new book, Axelrod accused Romney of saying "the president won by getting out the black vote" during a concession call to Obama following the 2012 election. On Wednesday, O'Donnell parroted the claim without skepticism. On Thursday, she quoted Jackson labeling the account "absurd" and added: "Jackson says he was there for the call and denies Romney ever made those comments."
CBS based both news briefs on headlines in the New York Daily News.
Here is a transcript of the February 5 This Morning report:
8:30 AM ET
NORAH O'DONNELL: New York's Daily News has an update on a story we brought you yesterday on Mitt Romney's concession call to President Obama in 2012. David Axelrod, a strategist for President Obama, claimed Romney implied the President won only by turning out the black vote. Well now a former top aide for Romney, Garrett Jackson, says, "That's absurd." Jackson says he was there for the call and denies Romney ever made those comments. Jackson told CBS News, "I just hope this lie is the work of David Axelrod and not the President. It's ridiculous. I was very disappointed they would make that up."
