CNN has cut ties with Donna Brazile, political commentator, and interim Democratic National Committee chair. The network reported Monday it had accepted her resignation as a contributor on Oct. 14 after WikiLeaks revealed that she provided presidential debate questions to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. It remains unclear why it took them two weeks to reveal they had parted ways.
Earlier this month, Brazile came under scrutiny after it came to light that she reportedly emailed John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, to offer him a March CNN town-hall debate question related to the death penalty and that she would “send a few more.” The network took the decision to cut ties with Brazile after more WikiLeaks emails had shown she had actually provided more debate questions.
WikiLeaks revealed that Brazile told Podesta on March 12 she often got questions in advance from the network. Another email involved a question that would be asked by a Flint, Mich., woman who is facing the city’s water crisis.
Brazile wrote that the woman’s family had lead poison and would ask whether the Democratic presidential nominee would do anything as a president to help those affected by that particular problem in Flint.
“We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor,” CNN spokeswoman Lauren Pratapas said in a statement Monday, according to The Washington Post.
Pratapas also denied that CNN had been involved in those interactions and claimed the network never provided Brazile to any questions, attendee list, prep material, background information or any meeting ahead of a CNN-sponsored town hall or debate.
In an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly that took place last week, Brazile also denied having had access to a debate question related to the death penalty in advance.
“Thank you @CNN,” Brazile tweeted on Monday. “Honored to be a Democratic strategist and commentator on the network. Godspeed to all my former colleagues.”
She is also a contributor to ABC News. After Brazile became interim DNC chair in July following the resignation of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), both networks temporarily suspended their contracts with her and said they would resume their relationship with her after the election.
Wasserman Schultz was also affected by hacked emails, which suggested that DNC officials had favored Clinton’s campaign at the expense of Bernie Sanders, as reported by the Washington Post.
A Clinton spokesman wrote in an email that the Democratic nominee’s campaign would not comment “on the authenticity of any individual emails that have been hacked by the Russian government,” Reuters reported.
Trump attacks the media again
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Monday at a rally in Warren, Mich., that the media was “one of the most dishonest groups of people ever,” as quoted by The Post. He has accused CNN several times of being biased against his campaign.
As for Clinton’s involvement with debate questions provided in advance, he said Donna Brazile was not relevant at all compared to the Democratic candidate and her use of the questions she was not supposed to receive.
Source: The Washington Post