Report: Lou Dobbs Used Illegal Immigrant Labor

Updated 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time

Former CNN host and fierce opponent of illegal immigration Lou Dobbs "has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multimillion-dollar estates and the horses he keeps for his 22-year-old daughter, Hillary, a champion show jumper," according to a story in The Nation.

The liberal magazine has published the results of a year-long investigation hat found that at least five undocumented immigrants worked in Dobbs' gardens and in stables where his family's horses were cared for.

The workers were reportedly not hired by Dobbs but instead through companies responsible for landscaping and care of the horses. One undocumented man who had reportedly done garden maintenance for Dobbs said the former CNN host "knew very well that the majority of us didn't have papers" and that it was "never a problem."

Dobbs told the Associated Press that the article is "a political assault" based on a lie. "I have never, do not now, and never will" employ illegal immigrants, he said. [UPDATE: Read about Dobbs' exchange with the Nation reporter on his radio show today.]

Dobbs has flirted with the notion of running for office, most notably for Senate in New Jersey. He has also signaled openness to a presidential runin 2012.

Dobbs left CNN amid protests over the hard line he has taken on illegal immigration. He plans to address the Virginia Tea Party Convention on Saturday, his second speech to a Tea Party group this year.

The report comes as California GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman deals with fallout from revelations that she employed an undocumented housekeeper for nine years.