WASHINGTON: Ketchum bore no responsibility for disclosing columnist and pundit Armstrong Williams' status as a paid advocate for the Department of Education (DoE), said Lorraine Thelian, senior partner in charge of North American operations for the Omnicom agency.

"[Williams] has said numerous times that he should've disclosed and we agree with that," she said. "We would assume that the commentator pundit/would disclose. That's an assumption that you make."

As part of a contract with the DoE, Ketchum arranged for Williams to be ...