President Donald Trump is boasting that he was “right” when it came to a tweet that sparked controversy on social media from a C-SPAN reporter, who was supposed to moderate a presidential debate.
Senior Executive Producer and Political Editor for C-SPAN Steve Scully was set to moderate the second presidential debate. The debate originally scheduled for Oct. 15, however, was canceled after Trump refused to participate in a virtual debate.
Early Friday, the president tweeted that Scully “had a very bad week.”
The president then said, “When his name was announced, I said he would not be appropriate because of conflicts. I was right! Then he said he was hacked, he wasn’t. I was right again!”
Steve Scully of @cspan had a very bad week. When his name was announced, I said he would not be appropriate because of conflicts. I was right! Then he said he was hacked, he wasn’t. I was right again! But his biggest mistake was “confiding” in a lowlife loser like the Mooch. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2020
“But his biggest mistake was ‘confiding’ in a lowlife loser like the Mooch,” Trump added. “Sad!”
A since-deleted tweet from Scully’s account read, “[Anthony Scaramucci] should I respond to Trump.” Trump previously called Scully a “Never Trumper” in an Oct. 9 tweet.
Scaramucci is a former Trump aide who is a frequent critic of the president.
C-SPAN suggested afterward that Scully “did not originate the tweet” and they believed “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,” the network added at the time.
However, on Thursday, C-SPAN said that Scully was suspended after lying that his Twitter account was hacked, as IJR reported.
The network wrote in a statement, “We were very saddened by this news and do not condone his actions. After some distance from this episode, we believe in his ability to continue to contribute to C-SPAN.”
Additionally, Scully said in a statement, “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 my Twitter account had been hacked. These were both errors in judgment for which I am totally responsible. I apologize.”
Trump also tweeted after the news of Scully’s admission, claiming, “The Debate was Rigged!” He added, “The Trump Campaign was not treated fairly by the ‘Commission’. Did I show good instincts in being the first to know?”
