John Kerry's re-election campaign responded to Republican challenger Jeff Beatty's call for the senator to return campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac employees by firing back a multi-pronged salvo of their own Friday.

[img_assist|nid=30|title=Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=123|height=180]On Tuesday, Beatty said Kerry should return the $111,000 in campaign contributions he has received from the employees of the embattled mortgage lenders, according to OpenSecrets.org.

The Kerry camp responded by tying the government bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to Beatty's party.

"Jeff Beatty seems to have forgotten that this entire mortgage disaster happened under his party's watch," Roger Lau, Kerry's campaign manager said in a statement.

Lau then blasted Beatty for his work as a video game consultant.

"If we're going to get into the business of making demands, perhaps he should consider taking some time off from his busy schedule of consulting on violent video games to answer some questions for Massachusetts voters," Lau said.

The Kerry camp said Beatty consulted on "Delta Force," a computer game that has been listed as bloody and violent by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

More, Lau said Beatty's counter-terrorism consulting company benefitted from a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority no-bid contract following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Beatty, Lau said, should answer "why the MBTA purchased 50 trash bins at $1,600 a piece from Beatty's company when no other company was even considered."

The Kerry campaign did not say whether the senator is considering returning the campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac employees.