Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder tapped Republican operatives Frank Luntz and Ari Fleischer to help fend off growing pressure to drop the team’s name, which most Native-Americans consider a slur.

Luntz Global, which is majority owned by MDC Partners, conducted a focus group for the team, while the head of Ari Fleischer Sports Communications provided PR counsel, according to emails obtained by the left-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund organization.

Tony Wyllie, VP-communications for the team, said Luntz did not get paid for his counsel.

He added that neither Fleischer, who was President George W. Bush’s press secretary, nor George Allen Communications, which is headed by Virginia’s former governor/senator and son of a past Redskins head coach have contracts with the team.

The National Congress of American Indians today posted a two-minute video, which raps the D.C. team’s name.

“The Proud to Be” piece says: Cheering for a football team should never include the casual use of a racial slur. It is important for all teams and of their fans that the name of the D.C. team is changed.”