CNN told the Democratic National Committee that its new politics editor and ex-spokeswoman for Attorney General Jeff Sessions will not have editorial control over the network’s coverage of the 2020 campaigns.
A Democratic official familiar with the conversations said that top officials at CNN assured the DNC, and specifically Chairman Tom Perez, that Sarah Isgur would not participate in the Democratic debates the network will host for those seeking the party’s presidential nomination, according to the Daily Beast.
The official also said CNN doesn’t envision having Isgur be involved in its town halls for Democratic candidates.
When Isgur’s hiring was announced last week, CNN faced a wave of backlash from critics who said the cable news network sold out in hiring a “right-wing hack” and “Republican flack.”
CNN defended hiring Isgur, who will join the team next month, saying she will spend the first few months on the job getting to know their systems.
“Sarah is not leading, overseeing, or running political coverage,” a CNN spokesperson said in a memo last Tuesday, clarifying that she would be mainly overseeing scheduling and publication of certain stories.
In the memo, CNN leadership said it was “thrilled” to have Isgur join the network.
