US Senator John Kerry with his wife Teresa. (AFP)

Washington, Feb. 13: The campaign of Senator John Kerry, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, faced its first media storm last night after a Right-wing website alleged that he had asked a woman to leave the country for personal reasons.

Kerry’s campaign did not respond to the allegation on the Drudge Report, a news tipster, most famous for disclosing that Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. When contacted, the Kerry campaign had no immediate comment.

But Democratic sources blamed the allegation on Republican “dirty tricks”. They said it marked the long-expected start of a campaign from the Right to smear the frontrunner and damage his chances of fighting a strong campaign against President George W. Bush.

The report caused anguish among grassroots party activists just a day after it seemed that Kerry, a decorated Vietnam war veteran, had been virtually crowned as the nominee after a remarkably swift and benign campaign.

The report also alleged that General Wesley Clark, who bowed out of the race on Wednesday, said: “Kerry will implode over an intern issue.”

Bill Buck, the national press secretary for the Clark campaign, said: “We do not respond to Right-wing Internet postings in any way, shape or form.”

Today, Kerry won the support of Clark who asked the Massachusetts Senator: “Sir, request permission to come abroad.”

Drudge claimed that several prominent news organisations in Washington have been investigating the rumours. But some of those named denied this.

The Drudge Report said the allegation explained why Howard Dean, the former frontrunner, was now vowing to fight on, having earlier pledged to bow out if he lost the next big contest on Tuesday.

Diehard Dean supporters exulted on Internet forums at the news that the man who usurped their hero’s position as favourite was at the centre of his own media storm.