The Washington Brahmans that run and advise the Commission on Presidential Debates appear to be stacked against President Trump, raising concerns about the fairness of the debates set to begin later this month.
While politically bipartisan, most of the Republicans on the commission are so-called Never Trumpers who have been sharply critical of the president or donated to opponents in the past.
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The commission sets the agenda and stage for the debates and plays the leading role in picking the media questioners.
The Cleveland Clinic will serve as Health Security Advisor to the CPD for the four 2020 general election debates. They are:
– 1st pres debate: 9/29/20 @NotreDame
– VP debate: 10/7/20 @UUtah
– 2nd pres debate: 10/15/20 @ArshtCenter
– 3rd pres debate: 10/22/20 @BelmontUniv— CPD (@debates) June 29, 2020
As a result of their anti-Trump bias, some of the president’s advisers are concerned that, for example, the media panels picked to ask questions will be soft on Democrat Joe Biden and harder on Trump.
The commission today planned to address issues of the upcoming debates during a National Press Club virtual discussion.
The commission has already ruled against Trump’s effort to add debates to the three presidential and one vice presidential forums already scheduled.
Of the two co-chairmen and one co-chairwoman, only Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. is a Republican. Dorothy S. Ridings is a former Democratic Party official and former president of the League of Women Voters. Kenneth Wollack is the former president of the National Democratic Institute and a donor to former President Barack Obama.
What’s more, pro-Trump GOP advisers noted the anti-Trump statements by Republican board members.
For example, former Missouri Republican Sen. John Danforth called Trump “the most divisive president in our history” in 2017.
Republican Richard D. Parsons, former Time Warner chief, said Trump was “not good for any America.” And former Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe donated to Jeb Bush in 2016 and said Trump was hurting the GOP brand.
A former commission official, however, said that the members usually keep their politics in check when drawing up debate blueprints.
