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Debate Commission dismisses Raddatz-Obama connection

The Commission on Presidential Debates is downplaying a new report by the conservative website 'The Daily Caller' about President Barack Obama's ties to Martha Raddatz, the moderator of tomorrow night's vice presidential debate.

The article, currently atop Drudge Report, notes that Obama worked on the Harvard Law Review with Julius Genachowski, whom Obama would later appoint chair of the Federal Communications Commission, and was a guest at his 1991 wedding to Raddatz -- raising accusations that Raddatz has a conflict of interest heading into tomorrow's debate, despite the fact that Raddatz has long-since divorced Genachowski and remarried.

(Also on POLITICO: Martha Raddatz takes center stage)

"We selected Martha Raddatz because she is a terrific journalist and will be a terrific moderator and we're thrilled to have her," Peter Eyre, an adviser to the Commission, said in a statement. "The notion that that somehow affects her ability is not something we have given a moment's thought to."

Yesterday, well-ahead of the article's publication, ABC News released a statement calling the Daily Caller's line of inquiry "absurd."

(Also on POLITICO: Paul Ryan spox: 'No concerns' about Raddatz)

"Martha Raddatz is known for her tough, fair reporting, which is why it was no surprise to her colleagues inside and outside ABC News that she was chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates for this assignment," an ABC News representative wrote. "Barack Obama was a law school classmate of Raddatz's ex-husband Julius Genachowski at Harvard. At the time Barack Obama was a student and president of the Law Review. He attended their wedding over two decades ago along with nearly the entire Law Review, many of whom went on to successful careers including some in the Bush administration. Raddatz and Mr. Genachowski divorced in 1997 and both are now remarried."

(Also on POLITICO: Right defends debate Raddatz' role)

Neither the Obama campaign nor the Romney campaign has responded to requests for comment regarding the article.

The Daily Caller's full report here.