Republican Web site hacked on eve of election

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A leading Republican Web site was hacked just hours before polls opened Tuesday in what Republicans said was an effort to discredit their candidate, Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

Late Monday the Republican National Committee's Web site was hacked and replaced with a lengthy anti-Bush tirade, according to RNC spokesman Tom Yu, who added that the unknown hacker also left a link to Al Gore's campaign Web site.

"It's obviously a dirty trick late in the campaign by the Democrats," Yu told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"We're disappointed at the large amount of dirty tricks being played this late in the campaign by the Democrats and we hope that Al Gore and the Democratic Party will join us in denouncing this kind of dirty trick," he added.

Yu declined to detail the anti-Bush message that was posted on the RNC Internet site, saying he did not want to give the words added credibility by repeating them.

Jenny Backus, spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, characterized the notion that her party was somehow involved in hacking the Republican Web site as "unfounded charges."

The Republican Web site was still not functional early Tuesday as polls opened for the presidential and congressional elections.

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