Republican strategist Karl Rove denied Thursday an online report that he had called Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman to tell him to remove himself from John McCain's short list of potential running mates.

"I'm not going to get into who I call or don't call," Rove told FOX News. "But this report that I called Senator Lieberman and told him you call Senator McCain and withdraw from the vice presidential (race) is incorrect."

Rove, a former top adviser to President Bush, serves as a FOX News analyst.

Rove said Lieberman's camp also denied The Politico.com report, but a well-placed Lieberman source told FOX News that Rove did call Lieberman toward the end of last week and said something to the effect of: I love you, but I think it would be a disaster if you were chosen as vice president.

According to the source, Rove said, "You should call McCain and tell him that," to which Lieberman laughed. Lieberman did not call McCain, the source said.

The Politico reporter who wrote the story told FOX News that he stood by his reporting.

Politico.com reported this week that sources said Rove got involved in McCain's selection process after syndicated columnist Robert Novak, writing his first column since being diagnosed with brain cancer, reported that McCain and some of his aides were considering  Lieberman.

Asked by FOXNews.com if he has advised the McCain camp, Rove, who has been promoting former McCain rival Mitt Romney as McCain's No. 2, said, "I receive phone calls from people who are friends over there, which I've said a million times."

McCain is expected to unveil his vice presidential candidate at an Ohio rally Friday and Lieberman, an independent Democratic candidate who has bucked his party to support McCain, has been named one of the leading contenders along with Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Click here to read The Politico.com report.