(DCWatchdog.com) – In a significant blow to Kamala Harris – and one dealt to her by a pro-left company, ABC News has dismissed a last-ditch effort by the Democrat nominee’s campaign to implement open microphones during the September 10 debate with GOP opponent Donald Trump.
A network email cited by The New York Post and Newsmax revealed that ABC News will adhere to protocols similar to those used in Trump’s June 27 debate on CNN against President Joe Biden.
These protocols included no audience, the prohibition of pre-written notes or props, and muting the microphones when a candidate is not speaking.
Harris’s campaign had proposed that the microphones remain active for the entirety of the 90-minute debate.
Republican representatives resisted this modification, advocating for the maintenance of the same regulations as those used in the CNN debate.
A Trump campaign affiliate informed both teams that ABC News plans to implement the “CNN rules,” and confirmed that the debate will proceed at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
“At this point, Team Harris is going to be taking an ‘L’ when they finally accept, as the debate rules aren’t changing, or they’ll take an even bigger ‘L’ if they back out of the debate because the Dana Bash/CNN interview goes poorly,” the individual remarked.
The controversy regarding the use of microphones originated from a 2020 debate between Trump and Biden, which was characterized by frequent interruptions and a lack of discipline from both participants.
Subsequently, the Biden campaign requested muted microphones for this year’s debate, a change that was credited with fostering a more composed demeanor in Trump.
The strategy behind the Harris campaign’s request for open microphones is to capture Trump’s spontaneous comments, thereby highlighting his potentially discourteous and disrespectful behavior, as reported by The Post.
Brian Fallon, a spokesperson for Harris, expressed continued frustration and determination to persist with negotiations in a post on X.
“Our latest understanding is that even though Trump said Monday he would be fine with an unmuted mic, his handlers don’t trust him to spar live with VP Harris and are asking ABC to ignore Trump’s comments and keep the mics muted or else they will back out of the debate for a third time,” Fallon wrote.
“We have been asked to accede to Trump’s handlers’ wishes on this point for the sake of preserving the debate. We find the Trump’s team’s stance to be weak, and remain in discussions with ABC on the final rules,” he added.
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