Fox News Headline: "Report: McCain Aide's Firm Paid by Freddie Mac Until Last Month"

UPDATE: Josh Marshall reminds us that there's a term for what the McCain camp is denying: "Layaway."
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Even Fox News can't keep the questionable reports at bay. We heard last week from the NYT that McCain campaign manager Rick Davis had earned over $2 million in 5 years working as head of the lobbying group to troubled lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Then we heard what campaign strategist Steve Schmidt had to say about the New York Times:

"Whatever the New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard a journalistic organization. It is a pro-Obama advocacy organization," Schmidt announced on a well attended conference call. "This is an organization that is completely, totally, 150 percent in the tank for the Democratic candidate."

Heh, heh.

So will Fox News get similar treatment for passing along a story that Rick Davis earned money from Freddie Mac as recently as last month? To be sure, Fox dutifully reports the McCain campaign's comments on this:

[A] McCain campaign aide disputed the claim that Davis has received any compensation from the firm since taking his leave in December 2006. The aide told FOX News that Davis stopped taking a salary and draws no partnership distribution from the firm.

“Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006. Zero. Mr. Davis has received no salary or compensation since 2006. Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis — weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual — since 2006. Again, zero. Neither has Mr. Davis received any equity in the firm based on profits derived since his financial separation from Davis Manafort in 2006,” said McCain campaign spokesman Michael Goldfarb.

Yes, yes, yes. And I unquestioningly accept that Davis is no better off just because the public affairs firm that bears his name received $15K per month since 2005 until last month for possibly helping Freddie Mac avoid government regulations from time to time. Obviously, when the campaign ends and Davis returns to his post (and heaven help us if that's not how it goes after November 4) as senior partner at Davis Manafort, it's not like he'll be able to earn benefits off the money then. Right?

Judging by the headline, I'd say even Fox News is beginning to wonder how deep the campaign garbage piles up.