In his e-mail, Mr. Wildmon cites a 2006 interview with Tim Russert in which Mr. Steele dances around a series of questions about overturning Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that made abortion a federal constitutional right. The Russert interview has been widely circulated in conservative circles in recent days.

In a postscript to his e-mail, Mr. Wildmon says that interview proves that “Steele is against overturning Roe v. Wade … against a constitutional amendment banning abortion [and] disingenuously calls abortion an issue that should be handled by the states even though the states can’t restrict abortion in any meaningful way until Roe is overturned.”

In an editorial board meeting at The Washington Times on Tuesday, Mr. Steele clarified his stance, saying that he thinks Roe should be overturned as a sloppy piece of decision-making, favors state regulation on abortion, and supports the Republican party’s platform that calls for a constitutional ban on abortion.