The American Spectator

Gary Marx, a senior adviser to former Gov. Mitt Romney, apparently has started a Fred Thompson clipping service, along the way adding a bit of editorial perspective.

Marx, along with state Romney folks, spent most of Monday peddling the partially discredited Los Angeles Times articles that claimed Thompson lobbied for a pro-abortion group back in 1991.

Over the past 36 hours, the story has literally changed twice on the L.A. Times website, with facts removed or recollections changed.

That hasn’t stopped Marx, who serves as a senior aide to Romney for outreach to social conservative groups, from emailing the articles, introducing them as a seemingly concerned conservative:

“Friends,

“Below are a collection of clips from press coverage of Fred’s lobbying for a Pro-Abortion group. This is an important story to monitor as we all watch to discern the truth of this disturbing development. Please let me know what you think and what you may be hearing from others in this regard.”

Disturbing indeed. At the same time on Monday, prominent social conservatives in Michigan and elsewhere were receiving hand-delivered files of clips regarding Thompson, similar to the ones Marx was emailing across the country.”

A Romney insider says that their campaign had nothing to do with the peddling of the story, saying that another Republican campaign with friends inside the pro-abortion group spent time last week pushing the story.

“But this is big news, and if Fred wants to be frontrunner he ought to be used to getting beaten up like one,” says a Romney supporter in California, who received the email from Marx. “Governor Romney’s been a frontrunner for months and he seems to be dealing with it pretty well.”