Forward Washington is about to put out a statement from executive director Ted Dahlstrom saying that Dino Rossi asked today to change his severance agreement with the non-profit. Dahlstrom told me that the original plan to pay Rossi a lump sum equal to what he would have earned through the end of next month was being misrepresented in the media as Rossi's attempt to stay on the payroll, though say he had resigned.

Dahlstrom said that Rossi told him this morning he wants to avoid even the appearance of that, so has asked that he only be paid what he would have earned through the end of this month.

Here's what Dahlstrom's statement says:

The purpose for Dino Rossi resigning as president of the Forward Washington Foundation was to protect the Foundation. The Foundation's fundraising has suffered since the baseless PDC complaint was filed by the Governor's political agents. I had asked Dino to help the Foundation with its transition to a new president. It was only fair that since he would continue to help us that we pay him a severance package. Now I have seen media reports that equate the severance package to him still being an employee of the Foundation through October. That is not our intent. Dino told me this morning that he wants to avoid even the appearance that he is still employed by the Foundation in order to prevent us from being the target of even more political attacks. With that, I have reluctantly agreed that his severance package will reflect the amount of compensation as if he worked through the end of September only.

The statement talks about "media reports" that could be used to fuel political attacks, but stops short of saying that was the media's intention. Rossi, though, has been pointed in his criticism of the media in other forums. In a speech earlier this month, he said in Pierce County:

"The media is a nay-sayer when it comes to Republicans. And they try to pound you into the ground and pound you into the ground. And they're, you know, they're willing accomplices of the Democrats. That's true. And they pound you into the ground with, you know, with what the future can be."