George Stephanopoulos will not moderate a Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire scheduled for February 2016, after it was revealed he donated $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation, the charitable organization run by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Hillary Clinton is the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
In an interview with Politico, Stephanopoulos recused himself from moderating the debate after questions were raised about whether the donations, which he had not previously disclosed, showed bias.
Stephanopoulos is the chief anchor of ABC News, and also anchors the broadcast network’s morning show Good Morning America and Sunday show This Week.
His contributions were first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website.
Stephanopoulos rose to fame as a top staffer for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, and then served in the Clinton White House. Although he has moved to distance himself from his partisan background, the undisclosed donations brought conservative criticism to the fore on Thursday.
When Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz was asked whether it was appropriate for Stephanopoulos to moderate a debate, he responded: “Of course not.”
The Texas senator explained: “Debates should not be moderated by partisan Democrats who are actively supporting one of the candidates.”
However, Stephanopoulos’s recusal may not be enough for some conservatives. Conn Carroll, a top aide for the Utah senator Mike Lee, tweeted on Thursday: “I’m not letting my boss go on ABC until George Stephanopoulos recuses himself from all 2016 coverage.”
