The Romney campaign charged Thursday that President Obama's aides just got caught in a lie, after an Obama spokeswoman acknowledged the campaign knows the man in a controversial ad despite claims to the contrary a day earlier. 

"The Obama campaign has now admitted that it lied to the media and the American people in a disgraceful attempt to conceal their connection to this shameful smear," Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said. 

Williams was referring to the ad by a pro-Obama super PAC that tied the death of a steelworker's wife to Mitt Romney. Obama aides, initially questioned on the ad, said they had nothing to do with it and denied being familiar with the story of the ad's subject, ex-steelworker Joe Soptic. 

Campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday "we don't have any knowledge of the story of the family." 

Psaki reversed without explanation on Thursday.