C-SPAN announced on Tuesday that it is bringing back disgraced host Steve Scully effective immediately despite Scully’s admission, last year, that he lied about a debate-related incident that unfolded on social media.
Last October, before the second presidential debate, Scully falsely claimed that he had been hacked after a tweet appeared on his Twitter account that solicited advice from Trump opponent Anthony Scaramucci about how to deal with President Donald Trump at the debate, which he was set to host.
&#8220;Steve Scully, who was placed on administrative leave in mid-October for Twitter-related controversies in conjunction with the second presidential debate, is returning to duty at C-SPAN beginning this week,&#8221; C-SPAN said in a statement. &#8220;His initial assignments will be off-air producing for C-SPAN television and resumption of his work on C-SPAN Radio&#8217;s &#8216;Washington Today&#8217; program and &#8216;The Weekly,&#8217; a podcast/interview program.&#8221;
&#8220;No date has been set for his return to C-SPAN&#8217;s roster of on-air television hosts,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;We view October&#8217;s events as a singular episode in an otherwise successful 30-year C-SPAN career. And while it was appropriate in October for Steve to be immediately relieved of his duties leading our 2020 election coverage, we reiterate our belief that now, having completed a three-month administrative leave, he can continue to contribute to CSPAN&#8217;s mission.&#8221;
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C-SPAN says that Steve Scully, who was caught lying about his Twitter account being hacked, will remain at the network. 
&quot;We view October&#39;s events as a singular episode in an otherwise successful 30-year career.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/2qc6oTF13e">pic.twitter.com/2qc6oTF13e</a>
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1346566301905391617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
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On October 9, C-SPAN said in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/upcoming-debate-moderator-says-he-was-hacked-after-trump-tweet-hes-claimed-twice-before-that-hes-been-hacked">statement</a> that Scully did not send the tweet and that law enforcement officials had been contacted over the incident. C-SPAN and Scully <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-disqualifying-controversial-pick-for-second-debate-moderator-ignites-critics-with-tweet">faced</a> immediate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-c-span-suspends-debate-moderator-for-lying-about-twitter-hack">backlash</a> over the incident as many noted that the entire ordeal was fishy from the start.
&#8220;Last night a tweet from Steve Scully, C-SPAN’s Political Editor, appeared on his timeline communicating with Anthony Scaramucci,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;Steve Scully did not originate the tweet and believes his account has been hacked. The Commission on Presidential Debates has stated publicly that the tweet was not sent by Scully himself and is investigating with the help of authorities. When additional information is available, we will release it.&#8221;
A week later, C-SPAN <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-c-span-suspends-debate-moderator-for-lying-about-twitter-hack">announced</a> that it was suspending Scully because he admitted to lying about the incident. Scully <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/moderator-for-2nd-trump-biden-debate-worked-as-intern-for-biden-staff-assistant-for-ted-kennedy">worked</a> for Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the past, posted pictures of himself with Biden online, and made anti-Trump remarks.
Following his suspension from the network, Scully sought to shift blame for his actions on to Trump and right-wing media.
“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,” Scully <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/steve-scully-appears-to-blame-trump-for-his-actions-that-led-to-his-suspension">wrote</a>. “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,” the statement continued. “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.”
Trump later slammed Scully online, writing: “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?”
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I was right again! Steve Scully just admitted he was lying about his Twitter being hacked. The Debate was Rigged! He was suspended from <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cspan</a> indefinitely. The Trump Campaign was not treated fairly by the “Commission”. Did I show good instincts in being the first to know?
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1316829885147480064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Scully

C-SPAN Brings Steve Scully Back After He Admitted To Lying About Debate-Related Incident

Donald Trump

Media Bias

Steve Scully

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.
&#8220;I was right again! Steve Scully just admitted he was lying about his Twitter being hacked,&#8221; Trump wrote. &#8220;The Debate was Rigged! He was suspended from @cspan indefinitely. The Trump Campaign was not treated fairly by the &#8216;Commission&#8217;. Did I show good instincts in being the first to know?&#8221;
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I was right again! Steve Scully just admitted he was lying about his Twitter being hacked. The Debate was Rigged! He was suspended from <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cspan</a> indefinitely. The Trump Campaign was not treated fairly by the “Commission”. Did I show good instincts in being the first to know?
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1316829885147480064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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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, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-blasts-steve-scully-for-lying-about-hack-the-debate-was-rigged">writing</a>:
<blockquote>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.</blockquote>

President Trump Departs White House For Campaign Stops In Minnesota

Trump Blasts Steve Scully For Lying About Hack: ‘The Debate Was Rigged!’

2020 Election

C-Span

C-SPAN host Steve Scully, a former intern for then-Senator Joe Biden, appeared to blame President Donald Trump on Thursday for his actions that ultimately led to him being suspended from the network after he admitted that he lied about being hacked on Twitter several days ago.
The admission comes in response to a tweet that Scully sent to Trump opponent Anthony Scaramucci where he asked Scaramucci if he should &#8220;respond to Trump.&#8221; The tweet instantly created controversy and drew widespread accusations of bias as Scully was scheduled to host a presidential debate between Trump and Biden.
In a statement given to CNN, Scully appeared to blame Trump for his actions as he portrayed himself as a victim.
&#8220;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,&#8221; Scully wrote. &#8220;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.&#8221;
&#8220;These were both errors in judgement for which I am totally responsible. I apologize,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;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.&#8221;
Controversy over the decision by the Commission on Presidential Debates to have Scully host the second presidential debate was ignited after news reports <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/moderator-for-2nd-trump-biden-debate-worked-as-intern-for-biden-staff-assistant-for-ted-kennedy">surfaced</a> showing that Scully had interned for Biden and other Democrats, which became an issue after Fox News host Chris Wallace was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-wallace-faces-intense-backlash-including-from-colleagues-over-bias-during-debate?%3Futm_source=twitter">widely criticized</a> of being biased with the way that he handled the first presidential debate.

Steve Scully Appears To Blame Trump For His Actions That Led To His Suspension

Joe Biden

C-SPAN Political Editor Steve Scully has been indefinitely suspended from the network for falsely claiming his Twitter account had been hacked following a public interaction with Anthony Scaramucci on the social media website about President Donald Trump.
Scully, the moderator of the since-canceled second Trump-Biden presidential debate, told C-SPAN that he had lied about the supposed hacking attempt on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from the network.
“By not being immediately forthcoming to C-SPAN and the commission about his tweet, he understands that he made a serious mistake. We were very saddened by this news and do not condone his actions,” said C-SPAN in a statement.
Scully said in a statement that his tweet to Scaramucci was sent “out of frustration” and that he lied about its origins when he saw that it had “created new controversy.”
“These were both errors in judgment for which I am totally responsible. I apologize,” said Scully.
In a statement, C-SPAN continued: “During his 30 years at C-SPAN, Steve consistently demonstrated his fairness and professionalism as a journalist. He has built a reservoir of goodwill among those he has interviewed, fellow journalists, our viewers, and with us.”
C-SPAN added that Scully has been placed on “administrative leave,” and may return after “some distance from this episode,” as the network “believes in his ability to continue to contribute” to them.
The second presidential debate, a town hall-style event with both major party candidates, was canceled by the Commission on Presidential Debates after the commission announced the event would be held virtually. The Trump campaign responded by saying it would not participate in a virtual event, and the Biden campaign subsequently scheduled another event for the same day.
Biden and Trump will now be featured in competing town hall events on the evening of Thursday, October 15, instead of appearing in an event together to answer questions from voters. Biden&#8217;s town hall will be on ABC, and start at 8pm and go on for an hour and a half. Trump&#8217;s town hall will be hosted by NBC but only go on for an hour instead of an hour and a half.
Despite receiving push-back for scheduling the town halls for the same time-slots, NBCUniversal has defended the schedule for the president&#8217;s town hall as a matter of fairness, since the news organization hosted a town hall for Biden earlier this month also at 8 pm EST.
“If we were to move our town hall with President Trump to a later time slot we would be violating our commitment to offer both campaigns access to the same audience and the same forum,” said NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde. “We hope voters will watch both discussions—ours will be available at any time, free and on-demand on Youtube, Peacock and all our digital news platforms.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/steve-scully-appears-to-blame-trump-for-his-actions-that-led-to-his-suspension">Steve Scully Appears To Blame Trump For His Actions That Led To His Suspension</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-blasts-steve-scully-for-lying-about-hack-the-debate-was-rigged">Trump Blasts Steve Scully For Lying About Hack: ‘The Debate Was Rigged!’</a>

Steve Scully is a senior executive producer and political editor for C-SPAN. He’s also host of the morning call-in show, Washington Journal. For Just Asking Profile

C-SPAN Suspends Debate Moderator For Lying About Twitter Hack

It appears that President Trump will not accept C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully&#8217;s excuse that his Twitter account was hacked, publicly mocking him as a “fraud.”
During an appearance on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures&#8221; with host Maria Bartiromo, President Trump denounced Scully as a liar and a fraud for saying that a hacker made it appear as if he was communicating with former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.
“They all say they were hacked. Every time something happens where they did something and got caught, the first thing they do is they say, ‘Oh, we were hacked, oh, we were hacked,’” Trump said, as reported by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-calls-c-spans-scully-a-fraud-mocks-claims-that-twitter-account-was-hacked">Fox News</a>. “Well, he wasn’t hacked. He knows that. He’s ashamed. It&#8217;s a shame.”
On Thursday, Scully&#8217;s Twitter feed ignited a firestorm of controversy when it appeared he said: &#8220;@Scaramucci should I respond to trump.&#8221; The tweet, which some have speculated as a direct message mistakenly posted, was deleted shortly after publication, with Scully claiming his account got hacked. At the time, President Trump said the tweeted proved Scully&#8217;s bias. &#8220;Steve Scully, the second Debate Moderator, is a Never Trumper, just like the son of the great Mike Wallace. Fix!!!&#8221; he tweeted.
“Steve Scully notified us that his Twitter account was hacked,” the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) wrote in a statement on Twitter. “CPD reported the apparent hack to the FBI and Twitter, and we understand that the federal authorities and Twitter are looking into the issue.”
“Last night a tweet from Steve Scully, C-SPAN’s Political Editor, appeared on his timeline communicating with Anthony Scaramucci,” C-SPAN said in a statement on Friday. “Steve Scully did not originate the tweet and believes his account has been hacked.”
Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chair for the Commission on Presidential Debates, told Joe Concha of The Hill that Steve Scully was a man of integrity and that he would still host the debate.
“Steve is a man of great integrity, okay?” Fahrenkopf said, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-stupid-do-they-think-we-are-upcoming-debate-moderator-says-he-was-hacked-after-trump-tweet-causes-concern">reported</a> by The Daily Wire. “I don’t know this question about whether he tweeted something out or not, I do know, and you’ll probably pick up on it in a minute, that he was hacked… Apparently, there’s something now that’s been on television and the radio saying that he talked to Scaramucci… He was hacked. It didn’t happen.”
Scaramucci agreed and tweeted Friday night, “I accept [Steve Scully] at his word. Let’s not cancel anymore [sic] people from our culture for absolutely something like this. It’s insignificant. He is an objective journalist.”
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/upcoming-debate-moderator-says-he-was-hacked-after-trump-tweet-hes-claimed-twice-before-that-hes-been-hacked">reported</a> on Friday, Scully has claimed several past controversial tweets were the result of a hacker. Prior to his tweet, conservatives were already suspicious of Scully due to the fact he previously <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/1606247/steve-scully-donald-trump-joe-biden-debate-intern/">interned</a> for former Vice President Joe Biden.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/upcoming-debate-moderator-says-he-was-hacked-after-trump-tweet-hes-claimed-twice-before-that-hes-been-hacked">Upcoming Debate Moderator Says He Was Hacked After ‘Trump’ Tweet. He’s Claimed Twice Before That He’s Been Hacked.</a>

Trump Mocks Steve Scully As A ‘Fraud’ After C-Span Host Claims Twitter Hack

On Thursday, a tweet posted to the account of upcoming presidential debate moderator and C-SPAN host Steve Scully stated, “<a href="https://twitter.com/Scaramucci?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Scaramucci</a> should I respond to trump.”
Asking Scaramucci, an avowed opponent of President Trump, ignited a furor that caused C-SPAN to issue a tweet on Friday claiming Scull’s account had been hacked. C-SPAN stated:
<blockquote>Last night a tweet from Steve Scully, C-SPAN’s Political Editor, appeared on his timeline communicating with Anthony Scaramucci. Steve Scully did not originate the tweet and believes his account has been hacked. The Commission on Presidential Debates has stated publicly that the tweet was not sent by Scully himself and is investigating with the help of authorities. When additional information is available, we will release it.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://t.co/yFtFn0FSZp">pic.twitter.com/yFtFn0FSZp</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1314598620658831360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com">reported</a>, “Media reporter Joe Concha reported Friday that Commission on Presidential Debates co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf told him the account was ‘hacked,’ but notably added that he has ‘no direct knowledge’ of the alleged hack. “Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf tells me that he was told debate moderator Steve Scully’s Twitter account was hacked but adds he has no direct knowledge,” posted Concha.
Interestingly, later on Friday journalist Yashar Ali posted two other instances from the past in which Scully claimed his account had been hacked, one from 2012 and one from 2013.
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Tweets from 2012 and 2013 <a href="https://t.co/jdeKqq7UEW">pic.twitter.com/jdeKqq7UEW</a>
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1314628134055014400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Fahrenkopf told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/steve-scully-twitter-hack-claim-debate-commission-scaramucci">Fox News</a>, “Steve is a man of great integrity, okay? I don’t know this question about whether he tweeted something out or not, I do know, and you’ll probably pick up on it in a minute, that he was hacked… Apparently, there’s something now that’s been on television and the radio saying that he talked to Scaramucci… He was hacked. It didn’t happen.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/moderator-for-2nd-trump-biden-debate-worked-as-intern-for-biden-staff-assistant-for-ted-kennedy">The Daily Wire</a> reported on October 1 that Scully once worked <a href="https://smpa.gwu.edu/steve-scully">as an intern</a> for Senator Joe Biden in college, later working as a staff assistant in Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s communication office.
“While attending college, he served as an intern in the office of Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden, and later a staff assistant in Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s media affairs office,” <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110920133809/http:/www.uvu.edu/chss/adoption/2010/presenters.html">Utah Valley University</a> noted.
In an interview with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110507191214/http:/www.journalismjobs.com/steve_scully.cfm">Journalism Jobs</a> in May 2011, when he was asked, “Has the quality of broadcast journalism decreased over the past five years?”, Scully took the opportunity to rip Fox News, stating, “I think what has gone downhill is when cable networks get caught in all the titillating news of the day when they should be focusing more on the things that are important to people, like following the money and the state of the nation. Having said that, if you’re sick and tired of watching Laci Peterson on the Fox News Channel, then you can come on to C-SPAN and understand the process that we do in following it.”
Some conservatives scorned the claim that Scully’s account had been hacked; The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway reacted, “In a sea of admittedly bad possible explanations, this one is such an outlandish and unlikely one as to require far more than assertion without any evidence.”
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In a sea of admittedly bad possible explanations, this one is such an outlandish and unlikely one as to require far more than assertion without any evidence.
&mdash; Mollie (@MZHemingway) <a href="https://twitter.com/MZHemingway/status/1314604087917281282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Megyn Kelly expressed her disbelief: “They can’t possibly go with this. How stupid do they think we are?”
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They can’t possibly go with this. How stupid do they think we are? <a href="https://t.co/RyMqBcYWUc">https://t.co/RyMqBcYWUc</a>
&mdash; Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1314588355586293760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Hacker in front of computer

Upcoming Debate Moderator Says He Was Hacked After ‘Trump’ Tweet. He’s Claimed Twice Before That He’s Been Hacked.

Anthony Scaramucci

Upcoming presidential debate moderator and C-SPAN host Steve Scully claims his Twitter account was hacked after a tweet posted to his account concerning President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-disqualifying-controversial-pick-for-second-debate-moderator-ignites-critics-with-tweet">raised red flags</a> about his supposed objectivity.
&#8220;[Anthony Scaramucci] should I respond to trump,&#8221; said the <a href="https://twitter.com/stevescully/status/1314381541586464770">tweet</a> from Scully&#8217;s account. It has since been removed.
Notably, Scaramucci is an adversary of the president, though he briefly served as a White House communications director within the administration.
&#8220;Last night a tweet from Steve Scully, C-SPAN&#8217;s Political Editor, appeared on his timeline communicating with Anthony Scaramucci,&#8221; read a statement from C-SPAN, released Friday. &#8220;Steve Scully did not originate the tweet and believes his account has been hacked.&#8221;
According to the statement, an investigation has been opened into the tweet.
&#8220;The Commission on Presidential Debates has stated publicly that the tweet was not sent by Scully himself and is investigating with the help of authorities,&#8221; C-SPAN said. &#8220;When additional information is available, we will release it.&#8221;
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<a href="https://t.co/yFtFn0FSZp">pic.twitter.com/yFtFn0FSZp</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1314598620658831360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Media reporter Joe Concha reported Friday that the Commission on Presidential Debates co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf told him the account was &#8220;hacked&#8221; but notably added that he has &#8220;no direct knowledge&#8221; of the alleged hack.
&#8220;Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf tells me that he was told debate moderator Steve Scully&#8217;s Twitter account was hacked but adds he has no direct knowledge,&#8221; posted Concha.
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Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf tells me that he was told debate moderator Steve Scully&#39;s Twitter account was hacked but adds he has no direct knowledge.
&mdash; Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1314583484816658433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Steve is a man of great integrity, okay?&#8221; Fahrenkopf said, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/steve-scully-twitter-hack-claim-debate-commission-scaramucci">according</a> to Fox News. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know this question about whether he tweeted something out or not, I do know, and you&#8217;ll probably pick up on it in a minute, that he was hacked&#8230; Apparently, there&#8217;s something now that&#8217;s been on television and the radio saying that he talked to Scaramucci&#8230; He was hacked. It didn&#8217;t happen.&#8221;
Scaramucci publicly replied to the concerning tweet on Thursday, telling Scully to &#8220;ignore&#8221; Trump.
&#8220;Ignore,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;He is having a hard enough time. Some more bad stuff about to go down.&#8221;
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Ignore. He is having a hard enough time. Some more bad stuff about to go down. <a href="https://t.co/cMphfQJELL">https://t.co/cMphfQJELL</a>
&mdash; Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scaramucci/status/1314386686718156800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On Friday, Scaramucci tweeted: &#8220;I accept [Steve Scully] at his word. Let’s not cancel anymore people from our culture for absolutely something like this. It’s insignificant. He is an objective journalist.&#8221;
As highlighted by The Daily Wire, there have already been concerns over Scully&#8217;s objectivity since it was learned that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/moderator-for-2nd-trump-biden-debate-worked-as-intern-for-biden-staff-assistant-for-ted-kennedy">he used to intern for Democratic nominee Joe Biden when he was a senator</a>.
The Federalist&#8217;s Mollie Hemingway reacted to the &#8220;hack&#8221; defense, &#8220;In a sea of admittedly bad possible explanations, this one is such an outlandish and unlikely one as to require far more than assertion without any evidence.&#8221;
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In a sea of admittedly bad possible explanations, this one is such an outlandish and unlikely one as to require far more than assertion without any evidence.
&mdash; Mollie (@MZHemingway) <a href="https://twitter.com/MZHemingway/status/1314604087917281282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;They can’t possibly go with this,&#8221; said Megyn Kelly. &#8220;How stupid do they think we are?&#8221;
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They can’t possibly go with this. How stupid do they think we are? <a href="https://t.co/RyMqBcYWUc">https://t.co/RyMqBcYWUc</a>
&mdash; Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1314588355586293760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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President Donald Trump posted Friday, &#8220;Steve Scully, the second Debate Moderator, is a Never Trumper, just like the son of the great Mike Wallace. Fix!!!&#8221;
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Steve Scully, the second Debate Moderator, is a Never Trumper, just like the son of the great Mike Wallace. Fix!!!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1314589397388529664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-disqualifying-controversial-pick-for-second-debate-moderator-ignites-critics-with-tweet">‘This Is Disqualifying’: Controversial Pick For Second Debate Moderator Ignites Critics With Tweet</a>

‘How Stupid Do They Think We Are?’: Upcoming Debate Moderator Says He Was Hacked After ‘Trump’ Tweet Causes Concern

C-SPAN host Steve Scully, who was selected to host the second presidential debate, sparked controversy on Thursday night over a tweet that he sent to Anthony Scaramucci, an opponent of Trump who also briefly served as the former White House communications director in the administration.
Scully, whose selection to be the moderator for the next debate has come under fire after news broke that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/moderator-for-2nd-trump-biden-debate-worked-as-intern-for-biden-staff-assistant-for-ted-kennedy">he used to intern for then-Senator Joe Biden</a>, tweeted at Scaramucci: “@Scaramucci should I respond to trump.”
The exact context of Scully&#8217;s tweet was unclear, but it still ignited backlash from a wide range of political commentators and reporters.
The Hill reporter Joe Concha wrote on Twitter: &#8220;What? Why is the next presidential debate moderator publicly asking one of Trump’s staunchest critics in Anthony Scaramucci if he should respond to the president? In a related story, Scully once interned for Sen. Joe Biden. Optics here are horrible &amp; underscore mistrust is media.&#8221;
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2016- Scully at the Biden beach bash. This is a photo he posted with the caption: “Gotta love the <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> at the Biden beach bash.” <a href="https://t.co/pyNtWp7iDx">https://t.co/pyNtWp7iDx</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ke8BdCYAl5">pic.twitter.com/Ke8BdCYAl5</a>
&mdash; Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1314393825935327233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs wrote: &#8220;We need a different moderator at the v[ery] least. This is disqualifying.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/RLHeinrichs/status/1314402639828918273
Politico reporter Alex Thompson wrote: &#8220;odd thing for the next debate moderator to tweet.&#8221;
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odd thing for the next debate moderator to tweet. <a href="https://t.co/WXH0UdNEB4">https://t.co/WXH0UdNEB4</a>
&mdash; Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexThomp/status/1314388974987870209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Journalist Yashar Ali noted that he believes that Scully thought he was sending Scaramucci a private DM on the platform.
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Steve is the moderator of the next presidential debate and he thinks he&#39;s DMing Scaramucci&#8230;but he&#39;s tweeting @ him. 
Read my latest newsletter on the makeup of the board of the commission on presidential debates and why the leadership needs a shakeup. <a href="https://t.co/HblUdKOi1q">https://t.co/HblUdKOi1q</a> <a href="https://t.co/YUxCpSFeCf">https://t.co/YUxCpSFeCf</a>
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1314391345994194945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump Jr. responded on Twitter: &#8220;Are you kidding me. Steve Scully the former Biden intern and moderator of the next debate thinks he’s DMing&#8230; but he’s doing it out loud. Yea, totally not a setup. Journalism is dead.&#8221;
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Are you kidding me. Steve Scully the former Biden intern and moderator of the next debate thinks he’s DMing&#8230; but he’s doing it out loud. 
Yea, totally not a setup. Journalism is dead. <a href="https://t.co/b07swOAkKg">https://t.co/b07swOAkKg</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1314392712708345859?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The news comes after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced early on Thursday that it was changing the debate to be a virtual debate.
President Donald Trump said in an interview shortly after the announcement that the decision was &#8220;not acceptable.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to do a virtual debate,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I&#8217;m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That&#8217;s not what debating is all about. You sit behind a computer and do a debate. It&#8217;s ridiculous. And then they cut you off whenever they want. I have a host, who I always thought was a nice guy, but I see he&#8217;s a never-Trumper, you know, came out that he&#8217;s a never-Trumper. And we do have some of them, Maria, believe it or not, because they don&#8217;t like to win.&#8221;
The commission said this evening that it would not reconsider moving the debate back to being an in person event.
&#8220;President Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, says the President will be medically cleared for ‘safe return to public engagements’ by Saturday, five full days before the originally scheduled debate in Miami on October 15,&#8221; Trump Campaign Manager Bill Stepien said. &#8220;There is therefore no medical reason why the Commission on Presidential Debates should shift the debate to a virtual setting, postpone it, or otherwise alter it in any way.&#8221;
&#8220;CPD Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf admits that they consulted with no one before unilaterally changing the format of a debate, well in advance of any knowledge of what the President’s condition would be on debate night,&#8221; Stepien continued. &#8220;The commission must stop protecting Joe Biden from this in-person debate and allow the event to proceed as it was agreed to months ago. The American people can see through this obvious attempt to shield Biden from another shellacking like he got two weeks ago in Cleveland and the CPD must reverse course and let the debate proceed.&#8221;

‘This Is Disqualifying’: Controversial Pick For Second Debate Moderator Ignites Critics With Tweet

The second presidential debate, scheduled for October 15, will be moderated by Steve Scully, the political editor at C-SPAN and host of Washington Journal, who once worked <a href="https://smpa.gwu.edu/steve-scully">as an intern</a> for Senator Joe Biden in college, later working as a staff assistant in Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s communication office.
&#8220;While attending college, he served as an intern in the office of Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden, and later a staff assistant in Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s media affairs office,&#8221; <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110920133809/http://www.uvu.edu/chss/adoption/2010/presenters.html">Utah Valley University</a> noted.
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C-SPAN’s impeccable convention coverage &#8211; gavel to gavel, classy and smart&#8230;
 <a href="https://t.co/ZrRtMtwj3d">https://t.co/ZrRtMtwj3d</a>
 <a href="https://twitter.com/WashTimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@washtimes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/harperbulletin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@harperbulletin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cspan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveScully?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SteveScully</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemocraticConvention?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemocraticConvention</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HowardMortman</a>
&mdash; Jennifer Harper (@harperbulletin) <a href="https://twitter.com/harperbulletin/status/1295537062922379270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In an interview with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110507191214/http:/www.journalismjobs.com/steve_scully.cfm">Journalism Jobs</a> in May 2011, when he was asked, “Has the quality of broadcast journalism decreased over the past five years?”, Scully took the opportunity to rip Fox News, stating, “I think what has gone downhill is when cable networks get caught in all the titillating news of the day when they should be focusing more on the things that are important to people, like following the money and the state of the nation. Having said that, if you&#8217;re sick and tired of watching Laci Peterson on the Fox News Channel, then you can come on to C-SPAN and understand the process that we do in following it.”
Later in the same interview, he praised Tim Russert, then-host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying, “I think Tim Russert — who is paid a lot of money to do what he does — earns his money because he works hard and he understands the process. He&#8217;s probably one of the best interviewers out there.” Then he turned to Fox News again, claiming, “We are seeing more opinionated journalism on Fox, Sean Hannity, Bill O&#8217;Reilly, the whole incident with Dan Rather.”
Asked, “What will be the long-term impact on the credibility of journalists if the public&#8217;s perceived bias in reporting goes unchecked?”, Scully said, “Journalism in general will face more credibility blows. The most important thing you have is your reputation. How people view you and the organization you work at — they&#8217;re going to see things through the prism of that. It would be a shame if we go down the path where everyone looks at The Washington Post and the New York Times and dismisses them as being supportive or critical of Republicans.”
He added a criticism of CBS News, asserting, “The best thing any news organization can do is to try to maintain a level of credibility — make sure that the facts they put in the newspaper or on the air are accurate and verified. That&#8217;s one of the lessons CBS has realized. You could see the mistakes they were making every step of the way. They are going to pay a price for that.”
Scully mentioned former NBC News anchor John Chancellor, saying, “If you have a comment by a news anchor that is truly his opinion — and I personally don&#8217;t like that — you need to make sure it is clearly marked and identified. Having a John Chancellor commentary at the end of the newscast — which was still popular in the &#8217;70s — blurs the line.”
Scully is “in charge of the network&#8217;s White House coverage. He&#8217;s even served on the Executive Board of the White House Correspondents&#8217; Association, where he was the president of the association from 2006 until 2007,” <a href="https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/a34222595/who-is-steve-scully/">Marie Claire</a> noted.
https://twitter.com/SteveScully/status/739184728641810432

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