Steve Scully suspension over false Twitter hack claim a 'big black eye' for debate commission: Baier

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C-SPAN's Scully suspended after admitting to lying about Twitter hack

Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier joins 'Bill Hemmer Reports' with reaction

C-SPAN's suspension of "Washington Journal" host Steve Scully after he admitted to lying about his Twitter account being hacked is a "big black eye" for the Commission on Presidential Debates, Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier said Thursday.

The news of Scully's suspension broke on the day he was to moderate the since-canceled second presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden in Miami. That debate was scrapped after the Trump campaign objected to the CPD's decision to hold the town hall-style event in a virtual format. 

"This is a big story," Baier said on "Bill Hemmer Reports". "This is a big black eye for the debate commission, which already had black eyes with the way it handled COVID and canceling the debate, going virtual, not telling the campaigns, and then this."

The controversy began on the evening of Oct. 8, when Scully tweeted at former White House communications director-turned-Trump-critic Anthony Scaramucci "should I respond to trump".

C-SPAN SUSPENDS STEVE SCULLY INDEFINITELY AFTER HE ADMITS HE LIED ABOUT TWITTER HACK

Scully's position as an unbiased moderator had been questioned after it became known that he worked as an intern for then-Sen. Joe  and a staffer for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. 

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On "Bill Hemmer Reports," Baier pointed out that C-SPAN had issued a statement Oct. 9 in which it said that the would-be moderator "did not originate the tweet" to Scaramucci and the CPD was investigating "with the help of authorities."

"I mean, this is bad," the "Special Report" host said. "And obviously, he's been suspended indefinitely from C-SPAN. He has come clean on this."

Baier added that Scully could have avoided the entire controversy by admitting right away that he had been in contact with Scaramucci and had meant to direct message him.

"I actually think America would be like, 'OK. No big deal,'" Baier said. "But this was a snowball. And unfortunately for Steve, this became a big issue."