Clinton and Obama clash over mogul's support

Clinton and Obama clash over mogul's support

Mr Geffen, the founder of Dreamworks, who has been helping raise $1.3m funds for Obama in Hollywood, told the New York Times that Mrs Clinton was a "polarising" figure who would not be able to bring the fractured US together "no matter how smart she is and no matter how ambitious she is". He also described her husband, former president Bill Clinton, as a "reckless guy".

Mrs Clinton's war room responded at speed, calling on Obama to renounce Geffen and accusing Mr Obama of descending into the "politics of trash".

Howard Wolfson, head of communications for the Clinton campaign, said: "By refusing to disavow the personal attacks from his biggest fundraiser against senator Clinton and president Clinton, senator Obama has called into serious question whether he really believes his own rhetoric. How can senator Obama denounce the politics of slash and burn yesterday while his own campaign is espousing the politics of trash today?"

But Robert Gibbs, communications director for Obama, said: "We aren't going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters."

Gibbs said it was ironic that the Clintons had no problem with Geffen when he was raising money for them and was a guest at the White House.