The NRCC is complaining that a DCCC mailer, distributed at the last minute in today's Mississippi special election, makes a false accusation when it says GOP candidate Greg Davis offered to have his town provide a new home for a statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who later founded the Ku Klux Klan.

But contemporary news accounts appear to support the DCCC's claim.

The controversy dates back to 2005, when civil rights groups were demanding that Memphis get rid of statues of Forrest and Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

As it turns out, the New York Times reported in August 2005: "Last week, the mayor of Southaven, Miss., a fast-growing city where many white Memphians have moved over the years, said he would be happy to have the Forrest equestrian statue in Southaven." Davis was, and still is, the mayor of the Memphis suburb of Southaven.

In addition, Mayor Davis clarified his position to the Memphis Commercial Appeal in July 2005: "We weren't going to ask for the statues. We were just placing ourselves as an alternative for if the city wanted to move the statues."

Calls to the NRCC and the Davis campaign for comment were not immediately returned.

(Special thanks to TPM Reader AV.)

Late Update: NRCC spokesman Ken Spain disputed the report that Greg Davis had been open to accepting the Forrest statue, pointing to an article in which he offered to accept the Jefferson Davis statue. However, Spain was unable to offer any article refuting the Times report about the Forrest statue, but referred us to the Davis campaign. Multiple calls to the Davis campaign have not been returned.