C-SPAN Suspends Steve Scully After He Lied About Twitter Hack

Topline

C-SPAN has suspended political editor Steve Scully, after he admitted to lying about having his Twitter account hacked when he asked former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci if he should respond to President Donald Trump’s claim that Scully is a “never-Trumper” ahead of Scully serving as presidential debate moderator, a hacking claim that many Trump supporters had been skeptical of.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“Out of frustration, I sent a brief tweet addressed to Anthony Scaramucci,” Scully said in the C-SPAN news release. “The next morning when I saw that this tweet had created a new controversy, I falsely claimed that my Twitter account had been hacked.”

Chief Critics

Many Trump supporters were openly skeptical and mocking of Scully’s claim that he had been hacked after he asked Scaramucci “should I respond to Trump.” Some took to Twitter after Thursday’s news.

Key Background

Scully, who has been at C-SPAN for 30 years, was scheduled to moderate the second presidential debate between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, which was canceled after Trump refused to debate remotely after his positive Covid-19 test. Scully has a lengthy career covering Washington politics, and has led C-SPAN’s coverage of presidential elections since 1992. He is also moderator of the network’s popular “Washington Journal” call-in show. He will not be a part of this year’s election night coverage, according to AP. 

Further Reading

C-SPAN suspends Scully after he admits to lie about hack (The Associated Press)

October 15 Presidential Debate Canceled After Trump Refuses To Go Virtual (Forbes)

Questions linger after C-SPAN’s Steve Scully claimed his Twitter account was hacked (Fox News)