Sarah Palin and Levi Johnston Once Again Fueding via the Media

(Getty Images)more pics »The very public, very ongoing war of the words between former Alaskan governer Sarah Palin and Levi Johnston continues, with both sides taking to the media to fire salvos.

Levi Johnston started the sparring this time around, going on CBS's Early Show. During his interview, Johnston claimed that Palin had once referred to her infant son Trig, who was born with Down's Syndrome, as "retarded." The 19-year-old father of Palin's grandchild also suggested that he's got even more dirt on the one-time vice presidential candidate, saying, "You know, I mean, if I really wanted to hurt her, I could very easily. But there's -- I'm not gonna do it."

Palin and her PR folks wasted no time in counter-punching, issuing a quick statement that called Johnston a liar, and referenced his upcoming photo shoot for Playgirl magazine. "We have purposefully ignored the mean spirited, malicious and untrue attacks on our family," the statement read. "We, like many, are appalled at the inflammatory statements being made or implied. Trig is our 'blessed little angel' who knows it and is lovingly called that every day of his life. Even the thought that anyone would refer to Trig by any disparaging name is sickening and sad. CBS should be ashamed for continually providing a forum to propagate lies. Consider the source of the most recent attention-getting lies -- those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say and do anything for even more attention."

Ouch! With Palin's memoir Going Rogue scheduled to hit book shelves November 17, and Levi's photo shoot hitting magazine stands shortly after that, we feel safe to say it's only going to get uglier.

See more Sarah Palin and Levi Johnston pictures (click on any photo):

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