Former Clinton pollster Mark Penn on Thursday criticized ABC News hosts Lindsey Davis and David Muir, accusing them of jeopardizing future presidential debates with biased moderation.
Davis and Muir served as co-moderators of Tuesday night's presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and were criticized for engaging in so-called “fact checks” about Trump more frequently than about Harris. Penn said Davis and Muir “genuinely annoyed” viewers of the debate. (Related story: Ex-Clinton pollster slams Democrats for trying to “remove” RFK Jr. from the ballot)
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'Fingers on the scales': Ex-Clinton pollster claims ABC host is 'putting at risk' future debates pic.twitter.com/B6Yd76433s
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 12, 2024
“I'm really concerned about how ABC handled it. If the judges put their finger on the scale, the scores of the match have to be thrown out,” Penn told Fox News host Harris Faulkner. “I wonder what would have happened in that debate if they had countered with Harris, 'You know what, what you said about Charlottesville was not correct?' I don't know how she would have responded, and Trump wouldn't have had to waste his time in the debate.” [defensive]When they did that, I think they did a real disservice to the American electorate and put the institution of debate at risk.”
Harris made multiple false statements during the debate, including about abortion and Project 2025. According to In a debate titled “Check the Facts,” Muir and Davis did not interrupt her or “fact check” her during the debate.
Harris has not given any sit-down interviews or press conferences since Biden announced he was ending his reelection effort on July 21, other than one with CNN host Dana Bash and the Democratic governor of Minnesota on Aug. 29. She has created an “issues” section on her campaign website that appears to have been copied and pasted from President Joe Biden's reelection site. (Related: Former Clinton pollster says he “can't vote” for Harris due to change in position)
Harris has reportedly backed away from the left-leaning positions she took during her 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, primarily in remarks to reporters by campaign associates.
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