By Staff, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Blog, January 17, 2008

17 Jan 2008 // A group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is calling on CNN to remove Republican strategist Ralph Reed from its team of election-night analysts, calling Reed “a proven liar” who carries a grudge against GOP presidential candidate John McCain.

Reed, former chairman of the state GOP and ex-head of the Christian Coalition, was one of CNN’s unpaid commentators last week, as votes from the New Hampshire primary rolled in. His presence was later noted in a Washington Post blog.

Saturday’s Republican primary vote in South Carolina also provides some context for this development. Here’s a related piece in today’s Post.

Says CREW:

“Reed’s disdain for Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, stems from Indian Affairs Committee hearings the senator spearheaded, exposing Reed’s work on behalf of [Washington lobbyist Jack] Abramoff’s tribal clients.

“Reed’s primary opponent in the lieutenant governor race publicized the information that came out during the hearings, contributing to Reed’s defeat at the polls.

“It has been reported that Reed’s defenders allege that Sen. McCain released the email exchanges between Reed and Abramoff in revenge for Reed’s support of President Bush in the 2000 campaign. Given Reed’s hostility to Sen. McCain, Reed is hardly an unbiased voice commenting on the Republican candidates’ race for their party’s nomination.”

We’re putting calls into CNN and Reed now.