President Donald Trump responded on Thursday afternoon to the news that C-SPAN host Steve Scully had been suspended from the network following his admission that he lied about being hacked on Twitter a week ago.
“I was right again! Steve Scully just admitted he was lying about his Twitter being hacked,” Trump wrote. “The Debate was Rigged! He was suspended from @cspan indefinitely. The Trump Campaign was not treated fairly by the ‘Commission’. Did I show good instincts in being the first to know?”
I was right again! Steve Scully just admitted he was lying about his Twitter being hacked. The Debate was Rigged! He was suspended from @cspan indefinitely. The Trump Campaign was not treated fairly by the “Commission”. Did I show good instincts in being the first to know?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2020
Scully released a statement admitting that he lied about being hacked on Twitter when he sent a message seeking advice from a Trump opponent on whether he should respond to the president. The message was sent just days before Scully, who used to intern for Democrat Joe Biden, was set to host the second presidential debate.
In his statement, Scully portrayed himself as a victim, writing:
For several weeks, I was subjected to relentless criticism on social media and in conservative news outlets regarding my role as moderator for the second presidential debate, including attacks aimed directly at my family. This culminated on Thursday, October 8th when I heard President Trump go on national television twice and falsely attack me by name. Out of frustration, I sent a brief tweet addressed to Anthony Scaramucci. The next morning when I saw that this tweet had created a new controversy, I falsely claimed that my Twitter account had been hacked.
These were both errors in judgement for which I am totally responsible. I apologize.
These actions have let down a lot of people, including my colleagues at C-SPAN, where I have worked for the past 30 years, professional colleagues in the media, and the team at the Commission on Presidential Debates. I ask for their forgiveness as I try to move forward in a moment of reflection and disappointment in myself.