C-Span host Steve Scully received official news that the presidential debate he was scheduled to moderate between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will not take place. Between the President’s refusal to participate via live video despite his illness with COVID-19, as well as Scully’s political bias being called into question, the second debate, like so many things in 2020, has been cancelled. The candidates’ focus will now turn toward the third debate.
Scully had faced calls to step aside or be replaced as debate moderator after information surfaced that the C-Span host had previously interned for then-senator Joe Biden and also worked for the late Senator Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. This week the calls for him to step aside only intensified when Scully tweeted a message to Anthony Scaramucci that looked as though it was meant to be private. The tweet, which read “@Scaramucci should I respond to Trump,” has since been deleted. Scully said it was the work of hackers.
“Steve Scully notified us that his Twitter account was hacked. CPD reported the apparent hack to the FBI and Twitter, and we understand that the federal authorities and Twitter are looking into the issue,” the commission said on its official twitter feed.
This isn’t the first time Scully has blamed hackers for Twitter comments made from his account. Back in 2012 and 2013 Scully apologized and posted that his Twitter account had been hacked.
President Trump chimed in with his thoughts after the alleged hacking, “@SteveScully, the Never Trumper next debate moderator, got caught cold. Pulled out the old, ‘I’ve been hacked,’ line. That never works. His bosses are furious at him as he’s lost all credibility!”
Both C-SPAN and the Commission on Presidential Debates have come out in support of Scully saying they believe him when he says his account was hacked. Anthony Scaramucci also chimed in with his own show of support ,“I accept @SteveScully at his word,” Scaramucci wrote minutes prior to Trump’s attack. “Let’s not cancel anymore people from our culture for absolutely something like this. It’s insignificant. He is an objective journalist.”
When asked to confirm Scully’s account had been hacked, Twitter’s only response was “no comment.” The FBI and Twitter are both apparently looking into the incident.
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