I’ve heard nothing but great things from the people who work with and know C-SPAN’s Steve Scully. But that doesn’t mean he should moderate the second presidential debate — especially not now that his intentions have been called into question.
Scully, who once interned for then-Sen. Joe Biden, is facing scrutiny this week following a bizarre Twitter exchange with former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who, since leaving the White House, has become a Never Trump pundit of sorts. In the since-deleted tweet, Scully tagged Scaramucci and asked whether he should “respond to Trump.” It is unclear what Scully is referring to, or why he was asking Scaramucci for advice, but Scaramucci quickly replied:
The Commission on Presidential Debates said in a statement that Scully’s Twitter account had been hacked and that he had not personally sent the tweets. For all we know, that could indeed be the case. If it is, Scully should do his best to provide proof. For example, if his account was hacked from a different phone or computer, Twitter probably sent an email to the address attached to Scully’s account alerting him that someone had logged in from a different device.
Even if Scully cannot provide verification, his bizarre conversation with Scaramucci is not necessarily disqualifying. Scully is allowed to talk to and consult with whomever he pleases, and we shouldn’t assume that the friends he keeps are representative of his professional skills.
However, what is disqualifying is the fact that Scully can no longer moderate the debate without becoming the story. His tweet to Scaramucci, whether it came directly from him or not, will be all anyone can think of if he continues to serve as moderator. Many of the viewers who know what happened will likely focus less on what Scully is asking the two candidates, and more on why he’s asking it of them.
Again, this could all just be a big misunderstanding. But unfortunately for Scully, we can’t afford to have another presidential debate as unhelpful and unproductive as the last. It is the moderator’s job to help make sure that the conversation is as informative as possible, and Scully cannot do that if he appears to favor one candidate.
I cannot speak to Scully’s political inclinations, nor to his ability to separate them from his professional work. But if he is as good a journalist as many have said, he ought to agree not to moderate. In this case, it is the right thing to do.
