White House says it is not endorsing pro-Allawi campaign.

Earlier today, ThinkProgress noted that the Republican lobbying firm Barbour Griffith & Rogers was plotting to replace Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with former interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. CNN reports that a senior Bush administration official acknowledged the White House is aware of the lobbying campaign because the firm is “blasting e-mails all over town” criticizing Maliki and promoting Allawi. “But the administration official insisted that White House officials are not privately involved or blessing the lobbying campaign to undermine al-Maliki.”

UPDATE: Salon’s Joan Walsh notes that a White House spokesperson addressed the Allawi issue in a press briefing today. She adds, “Iraqi democracy wasn’t good to Allawi, whose leadership didn’t survive elections. But the CIA-connected leader is a right-wing favorite.”