Dean Aide Denies Clark Claim

Democrat hopeful Howard Dean never offered the VP spot to Gen. Clark, his top aide said, directly contradicting a claim Clark made moments earlier.

Appearing on ABC News' "This Week," Gen. Wesley Clark told host George Stephanopoulos that before he entered the Democratic primary race Dean had offered him the VP spot on his ticket should he win the nomination.

Clark said that during a meeting with Dean last September, Dean "dangled" the VP spot on his ticket but that he had declined, noting he was "really not interested in even talking about it."

Minutes later Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager who was present at the meeting, told Stephanopoulos the offer was never made. Calling Clark's statement "interesting," he said that the matter of the vice presidential nomination "never came up" at the meeting.

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2004 Elections