Former Clinton pollster Mark Penn criticized ABC News hosts Linsey Davis and David Muir on Thursday, accusing them of jeopardizing the integrity of future presidential debates through biased moderation.
Davis and Muir co-hosted Tuesday night’s debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, drawing criticism for fact-checking Trump more frequently than Harris.
Penn remarked that Davis and Muir “did a real disservice” to viewers by not maintaining a balanced approach during the debate.
“I’m really concerned about what ABC did. When the refs put their finger on the scale, you’ve gotta throw out the score of the game,” Penn told Fox News host Harris Faulkner. “What would have happened in that debate had they challenged Harris and said ‘you know, that’s not right what you said there about Charlottesville.’ We don’t know how she would have reacted, and then Trump wouldn’t have had to spend all his time on the [defensive]. I think they did a real disservice to the voters of America when they did that and they put in jeopardy the institutions of debate.”
'Finger On The Scale': Former Clinton Pollster Says ABC Hosts Put Future Debates 'In Jeopardy' pic.twitter.com/B6Yd76433s
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 12, 2024
During the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris made several misstatements, including on topics like abortion and Project 2025, as noted by “Check Your Fact.” However, moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis did not interrupt or fact-check her during the event.
Since President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he would end his reelection bid, Harris has avoided granting any sit-down interviews or press conferences, aside from an August 29 interview with CNN’s Dana Bash alongside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. She also posted an “issues” section on her campaign website, which appeared to be largely copied from Biden’s reelection site.
Harris has reportedly distanced herself from several left-wing positions she held during her 2020 presidential campaign, primarily through statements released by her campaign aides to reporters.
