Craig James is still running for the Republican Senate nomination in Texas. He tried to lie in an interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, claiming he never hired a PR firm to deal with Mike Leach. He was forced to backtrack immediately after being reminded that, yes, he had hired the swiftboat firm Spaeth Communications.

On Wednesday, James told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: “We didn’t hire a PR firm.” But when Todd pressed the issue, noting that James had indeed hired Spaeth Communications, James acknowledged that he had. “There are PR firms for what I needed,” he said. “We needed somebody who could represent us.” It appears that James was trying to distinguish between the period before Leach was fired and the period afterwards. Leach says he hired Spaeth prior to the firing to smear his name. James says he hired the firm after the firing to handle the fallout. The firm’s founder Merrie Spaeth has advised a number of high-profile clients, including the SwiftBoat Veterans that attacked 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. James said today his goal all along was to defend his son and called Leach “a bully.”

Just to reiterate. Craig James did not kill five hookers,or eat a panda steak.

[Photo via Getty]

Previously: Craig James Would Never Make the Choice to Ride In a Gay Parade
Previously: Craig James is on a Mission From God
Previously: Craig James is Polling at Just Four Percent in Texas
Previously: Craig James Took Money at SMU, Pledged to “Kick Skunks Out of the Bushes.”
Previously: Craig James Now Has a Senate Campaign Commercial
Previously: Craig James is Not a Boise State Broncos Fan