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Monday, October 23, 2006
Spencer denies disparaging Clinton's appearance
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer is denying a report published in Monday's Daily News that he made a disparaging remark about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's appearance while en route to Rochester Friday to debate the New York Democrat.

"You ever see a picture of her back then? Whew," Daily News political reporter Ben Smith quotes Spencer as saying. "I don't know why Bill married her."

The Daily News also reported that Spencer, the Republican nominee challenging Clinton in November, said the senator had undergone "millions of dollars of work -- plastic surgery" to help improve her appearance. "She looks good now," Smith quotes Spencer as saying.

Rob Ryan, Spencer's spokesman, denied Smith's account, but acknowledged that a conversation took place on the flight to Rochester.

"The comment that he said was something to the effect of, 'If you have ever seen a picture of Hillary Clinton from college,' I think he said, 'Whew, she changed,'" Ryan said in an interview with CNN. "Which is obvious if you look at the picture of her. That is what he said. He never said anything about her having plastic surgery."

Smith told CNN Monday that he stands by his story. And the Daily News reporter posted a response to Spencer's denial on his blog that he writes for the newspaper.

-- CNN Political Editor Mark Preston
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