ABC News has suspended political correspondent David Wright after he told an undercover journalist he is a socialist and the establishment media “can’t figure out how to challenge” President Trump.
James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas, which captured Wright’s comments on video, said he and other members of the mainstream media were confused by Trump.
“We’re in this awkward moment … we have this f**king president, and we can’t figure out how to challenge him,” Wright said.
ABC issued a statement to Project Veritas.
“Any action that damages our reputation for fairness and impartiality or gives the appearance of compromising it harms ABC News and the individuals involved,” the network said. “David Wright has been suspended, and to avoid any possible appearance of bias, he will be reassigned away from political coverage when he returns.”
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— Project Veritas (@Project_Veritas) February 26, 2020
O’Keefe praised Wright for his honesty.
“No one should be suspended from their job for truth-telling,” he said.
At the time of the interview, Wright was covering the New Hampshire primary for “Nightline.”
Project Veritas said he “revealed his frustrations with his bosses for refusing to cover President Donald Trump fairly and not giving voters fair coverage of the presidential campaign.”
Asked by an undercover journalist if he was a democratic socialist, the ABC reporter replied: “Oh yeah. More than that I would consider myself a socialist; like I think there should be national health insurance. I’m totally fine with [reining] in corporations, I think [there are] too many billionaires, and I think there’s a wealth gap – that’s a problem.”
The Washington Post reported Wright also has done work for “World News Tonight” and “Good Morning America.”
The Post cited anonymous sources explaining the network took action after seeing the footage of Wright.
The Post was critical of Project Veritas’ undercover methods.
“Mainstream news organizations have largely abandoned the practice,” the report said, describing it as “deceptive.”
Fox News reported Wright also said: “I feel terrible about it. I feel that the truth suffers, the voters are poorly informed, and people also have the opportunity to tune into whatever they want to hear.
“And so, it’s like there’s no upside, or our bosses don’t see an upside in doing the job we’re supposed to do, which is to speak truth to power and hold people accountable.”
He insulted Trump in the recording.
Fox News reported “an insider” told the network Wright didn’t know who he was talking to, or that he was being recorded.
In October 2019, O’Keefe also released undercover recordings that captured CNN employees casually confirming the network’s anti-Trump bias.