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ABC News insists it did not break debate rules after a document claiming to be from an anonymous 'whistleblower' said there was close collaboration between the network and Kamala Harris’s team before the presidential showdown.
The unverified document, said to be a sworn affidavit signed by a notary public on September 9, has sparked controversy as it has spread online.
It alleges that ABC News gave Harris questions ahead of the debate, along with agreeing to preconditions to give her a leg up on former President Donald Trump.
An initial statement from ABC did not address the specific claims made within the document, saying: 'ABC News followed the debate rules that both campaigns agreed on and which clearly state: No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.'
A spokesperson for the network was subsequently forced to issue a more full-throated denial to the Daily Beast. 'Absolutely not. Harris was not given any questions before the date,' the spokesperson said.
An ABC source also denied claims moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis had assured the Harris campaign that they'd fact-check Trump in real time. The fact checks sparked controversy Muir and Davis called out Trump for his inconsistencies - but let Harris away with hers.
ABC News has yet to comment on a document said to be from an anonymous 'whistleblower' that contends that there was close collaboration between the network and Kamala Harris’s team before the debate
The unverified document, said to be a sworn affidavit signed by a notary public on September 9, has sparked controversy as it has spread online
It was purportedly penned by a male staffer who has worked at the station for some ten years, during which time he said their style of reporting has become increasingly troublesome. It was dated the day before Harris faced off with Trump, in what many observers saw as a victory for the vice president.
The purported staffer also claimed to have sent the document to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The document continues to pick up steam on social media, after first surfacing on the account of right-wing influencer and January 6 participant Philip Anderson last week, two days after the debate.
Despite being unverified, it has spawned a torrent of discourse - with big names like Bill Ackman and Marjorie Taylor Greene seemingly buying in.
'This looks credible,' wrote Ackman, the 58-year-old billionaire hedge fund manager on Sunday, re-sharing a post showing the six pages in question.
Greene, the MAGA Republican from Georgia, took it even further, re-sharing a since-disproved blog post that claimed the whistleblower died on Sunday.
'The ABC whistleblower who claimed Kamala Harris was given debate questions ahead of the debate has died in a car crash according to news reports,' Greene wrote in a post on X that remains up.
Four hours later, she offered a correction.
'This story appears to be false, and I'm glad to hear it,' Greene wrote, before doubling down on the original claims.
The document alleges that ABC News gave Harris questions ahead of the debate, along with agreeing to preconditions to give her a leg up on former President Donald Trump
It was purportedly penned by a male staffer who has worked at the station for some ten years, during which time he said ABC's style of reporting has become increasingly troublesome
Pictured are some of the purported agreements reached by the two parties
'We need a serious investigation into the whistleblower's report that Kamala Harris was given debate questions ahead of time from ABC!' she proclaimed.
Ackman, the founder and chief executive officer of Pershing Square Capital Management, added: 'I find the allegations credible as written, particularly because the affidavit was reportedly made the day before the debate and mentions details, like Harris' smaller podium, that only became public later.'
Proof that the affidavit was written the day indicated on the document remains unseen, and a seal from the notary public described in the document is absent.
The document includes several redactions obscuring the supposed staffer's identity.
The document says that Harris would not be subject to the same fact-checking as Trump, nor would she be asked questions about the health of President Biden.
Also disallowed were inquiries about Harris's stint as California Attorney General, and those involving her brother-in-law, Tony West, who is from San Francisco and served as Associate Attorney General of the US around that time.
He wed Harris's sister, Maya, a decade before, and today is 'a major force behind Ms. Harris's campaign and its record-setting fund-raising,' serving as a 'critical point of contact for business leaders and major donors,' according to The New York Times.
Despite being unproven, the document spawned a torrent of discourse - with big names like Bill Ackman (left) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (right) seemingly buying in
One post on X featuring the document has been viewed nearly 8million times in a little over 24 hours
An excerpt of the document claims West 'faces allegations of embezzling millions of dollars in taxpayer funds' and 'may be involved' in Harris's administrations if she is elected.
Those claims are also unproven and have never been reported.
One post on X featuring the document has been viewed nearly 8million times in a little over 24 hours.
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