US TV network breaks silence to respond to 'whistleblower' claims Kamala Harris received debate help
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump clashed in their first debate last week
ABC
The US TV network that hosted the Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump debate has responded to claims from a “whistleblower” that said the Democratic candidate received help.
ABC has insisted that it did not break debate rules after an alleged staff worker claimed that the network was biased towards Harris and gave her questions ahead of the debate.
The document, dated the day before the showdown, said that the broadcaster gave Harris preconditions which would give her a leg up over the former President.
It was supposedly written by a male staffer who has worked at ABC for over a decade, who noticed a “shift from unbiased reporting to a model influenced by external factors” during his time at the company.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump clashed in their first debate last weekABCIn the document, which is said to be a sworn affidavit signed by a notary public, the writer states that they do not support Donald Trump, with the intention of the letter being to “address concerns regarding perceived biases within news reporting” during the debate.
The staffer also claimed to have sent the document to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The network said in a statement: “ABC News followed the debate that both campaigns agreed on and which clearly state: No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.”
Two days after the debate, the document surfaced on the social media account of Philip Anderson, a right-wing influencer and January 6 participant.
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The document was dated the day before the showdown
REUTERSIt quickly gained traction online, with notable figures such as Bill Ackman and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene reacting. Ackman, the 58-year-old billionaire said: “This looks credible,” and called for an investigation into the claims.
Meanwhile Greene said: “We need a serious investigation into the whistleblower's report that Kamala Harris was given debate questions ahead of time from ABC!”
She also shared a since-debunked story which claimed that the whistleblower had died in a car crash, though she later corrected this: “This story appears to be false, and I'm glad to hear it.”
Senator Ted Cruz also chimed in with concern about the claims: “If this is accurate—and I do not know that it is—it would constitute one of the gravest violations of journalist ethics in presidential debate history.”
The document quickly gained traction online, with notable figures such as Bill Ackman and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene reacting
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ABC has insisted that it did not break debate rules
GettyThe document also alleges that Harris would not be subject to the same fact-checking as Trump was. It also claims that she would not be asked about certain topics, such as the health of Joe Biden.
However, there is no proof that the affidavit was written on the date claimed, and the necessary notary public seal is missing.
The letter has continued to cause a ruckus on social media, with one post on X being as viewed nearly 8million times in a little over 24 hours.