Steve Scully, the C-SPAN host who was slated to moderate the October 15 Town Hall debate with President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, created a stir on Twitter Thursday night when he asked Anthony Scaramucci, a rabid Trump critic, for advice on whether he should respond to the president.
Scully now claims that his Twitter account was hacked. See update below.
Earlier in the evening, President Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that the potential C-SPAN moderator had an anti-Trump bias, and once interned for Joe Biden.
“He’s a never-Trumper and I think somebody said he worked for Biden at one point!” Trump exclaimed. “These are the people we get.”
With his objectivity already in question, Scully asked the Trump-hating Scaramucci publicly on Twitter if he should respond to the president.
Scaramucci served as the president’s White House Communications Director during a tumultuous ten-day period in July of 2017 until Trump fired him. Since then, he has become one of the president’s fiercest critics, and an outspoken supporter of Biden’s candidacy.
Many observers have assumed that Scully, who is best known as the political editor of C-SPAN and host of “Washington Journal,” thought he was direct messaging Scaramucci.
The Mooch tweeted back that he should “ignore” the president.
“He is having a hard enough time,” Scaramucci said, adding cryptically, “Some more bad stuff about to go down.”
Ignore. He is having a hard enough time. Some more bad stuff about to go down. https://t.co/cMphfQJELL
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) October 9, 2020
President Trump withdrew from the town hall forum after the debate commission announced that the candidates would have to participate remotely from their homes.
“I’m not going to waste my time on virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about,” Trump said in an interview on Fox Business earlier in the day. “You sit behind a computer and do a debate. It’s ridiculous, and then they cut you off whenever they want.”
Biden has since withdrawn from the debate and has already scheduled an ABC News town hall for the same night.
Politicos on Twitter were intrigued by Scully’s tweet.
“Yikes, dude. This isn’t a DM. This is public twitter,” said Independent Journal-Review’s Caleb Hull.
“It appears that our moderator for the next debate thinks he’s dm’ing with Scaramucci but accidentally tweeted at him. I’m sure he’ll be a fair and unbiased moderator,” Daily Caller’s Greg Price said.
“I know you’re having a PR crisis team review this tweet and attempt to explain it away, but you may as well just leave it up at this point!” tweeted investigative journalist Jordan Schachtel.
Schachtel added: “Don’t worry, you may not be moderating the next debate now, but you’ll still get invited to the next Biden Beach Bash!”
Don't worry, you may not be moderating the next debate now, but you'll still get invited to the next Biden Beach Bash! https://t.co/kPdmV266ep
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) October 9, 2020
“What? Why is the next presidential debate moderator publicly asking one of Trump’s staunchest critics in Anthony Scaramucci if he should respond to the president? In a related story, Scully once interned for Sen. Joe Biden. Optics here are horrible & underscore mistrust is media,” The Hill media reporter Joe Concha tweeted.
In addition to serving as an intern for then-Senator Biden, Scully also served as a staffer for the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, according to Fox news.
Update:
Scully is now claiming that his Twitter Account was hacked, according to Fox News.
The Commission on Presidential Debates told Fox News on Friday morning that C-SPAN host Steve Scully’s Twitter account had been hacked, in the aftermath of a tweet sent from his account to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci that raised questions of impartiality.
The commission did not give specifics on its claim. Scully himself did not immediately comment. He’d been selected to host the second presidential debate, although the status of all future 2020 debates has been unclear.
Trump, meanwhile, registered his disapproval of Scully on Twitter:
Steve Scully, the second Debate Moderator, is a Never Trumper, just like the son of the great Mike Wallace. Fix!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2020