Debate Moderator Steve Scully Tells Mediaite He Was Hacked After Tweet Asking Scaramucci for Trump Advice
The moderator of the second presidential debate claimed he was “hacked” on Twitter, and that he never asked former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci for advice on how to cope with President Donald Trump.
“@Scaramucci Should I respond to trump,” a Twitter account for Steve Scully wrote in a tweet Thursday evening.
Trump had criticized the 60-year-old C-SPAN journalist in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity the same evening as a “Never Trumper, and I think somebody said he worked for Biden at one point,” a reference to Scully interning for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden after he attended law school.
“Ignore,” Scaramucci replied publicly to what many assumed was intended to be a private message from Scully. “He is having a hard enough time. Some more bad stuff about to go down.”
The message from Scully’s account was subsequently deleted. In a Friday interview on Fox News host Brian Kilmeade’s radio show, Frank Fahrenkopf, a co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said Scully was hacked.
“I don’t know about this question of whether or not he tweeted something out — I do know, and [something] you’ll probably pick up on in a minute, he was hacked,” Fahrenkopf said. “Apparently, there’s something now, that’s been on the television and radio, he was talking to Scaramucci — who’s that guy who was in the White House for a while? Scaramucci. That he’s been talking to Scaramucci. He was hacked. It didn’t happen.”
In a message to Mediaite, Scully confirmed Fahrenkopf’s assertion. “Frank is correct,” Scully said. “I am also not friends with Anthony Scaramucci.”
With respect to the internship, Fahreknopf said in his interview on Fox News Radio, “He worked for Biden — he was in law school, and he became an intern. You know, law school students, are looking … to intern — that’s when interned from.”
Scully later worked for Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) as a staff assistant. He presently hosts C-SPAN’s Washington Journal in addition to serving as the network’s political editor.
Minutes after the interview ended, the president took aim at Scully again on Twitter, and added a reference to Fox News’ Chris Wallace, the host of the first presidential debate held in September. “Steve Scully, the second Debate Moderator, is a Never Trumper, just like the son of the great Mike Wallace. Fix!!!”
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
The second debate, which had been scheduled to take place in Miami on October 15, was canceled Thursday after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced it would become a virtual event. Trump, who was diagnosed with the coronavirus last week, said he was not interested in participating a virtual debate, calling it “ridiculous.” ABC News subsequently announced that it would hold a town hall in Philadelphia featuring Biden and moderator George Stephanopoulos instead.
Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.
Listen above via The Brian Kilmeade Show.
UPDATE 12:17 a.m.: C-SPAN issued a statement maintaining that Scully “did not originate the tweet and believes his account has been hacked.” Authorities are investigating, they said.
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 9, 2020
