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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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SMPA fellow suspended indefinitely from position at C-SPAN after lying about hack

Scully+said+in+a+statement%C2%A0that+after+seeing+a+tweet+he+posted+out+of+frustration+in+response+to+criticism+from+Trump+created+a+new+controversy%2C+he+falsely+claimed+that+his+Twitter+account+was+hacked.
File Photo by Eric Lee
Scully said in a statement that after seeing a tweet he posted “out of frustration” in response to criticism from Trump “created a new controversy,” he falsely claimed that his Twitter account was hacked.

A School of Media and Public Affairs Terker Distinguished Fellow’s future affiliation with the school will be determined “in the coming days” after he was suspended indefinitely from his position at C-SPAN Thursday.

Steve Scully, who has worked as C-SPAN’s senior executive producer and political editor, received the suspension after admitting that he lied about his Twitter account being hacked. Silvio Waisboard, the director of SMPA, said officials are “aware” that Scully was suspended and “will discuss his affiliation with SMPA in the coming days.”

The statement comes after Scully was set to moderate the second presidential debate last week before it was canceled and replaced with two town halls with former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.

“We respect Mr. Scully’s credentials and are grateful for the work he has done with our students and SMPA,” Waisboard said in an email. “He has taken responsibility for his actions.”

Scully said in a statement that after seeing a tweet he posted “out of frustration” in response to criticism from Trump “created a new controversy,” he falsely claimed that his Twitter account was hacked. The tweet has since been deleted.

“These were both errors in judgement for which I am totally responsible,” he said in the statement. “I apologize. These actions have let down a lot of people, including my colleagues at C-SPAN, where I have worked for the past 30 years, professional colleagues in the media and the team at the Commission on Presidential Debates. I ask for their forgiveness as I try to move forward in a moment of reflection and disappointment in myself.”

Trump said in a tweet Thursday in response to Scully’s suspension that he was “right again,” and the debate was “rigged.”

“The Trump Campaign was not treated fairly by the ‘Commission,'” he said.

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