It’s long past time for CNN to cut ties with former Donald Trump campaign manager and current Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski.
Earlier today, Mediaite reported that according to its sources, CNN had suspended Lewandowski. A CNN spokesperson has told media reporters that this is not true, though some CNN staff apparently believed that it was.
CNN’s decision to hire Lewandowski has been widely criticized as an ethical morass from the start. Media ethicists and journalists have been condemning CNN for months.
Here’s what we know is happening right now:
Corey Lewandowski is getting paid by Donald Trump.
Corey Lewandowski is advising Donald Trump.
Corey Lewandowski is getting paid by CNN to talk about Donald Trump.
CNN and the Trump campaign both refer to the payments Lewandowski continues to receive from the Republican presidential nominee as “severance” rather than payment for “services rendered.” But according to the Trump campaign’s own filings, the payments are for “strategy consulting,” and Trump’s spokesperson says they will continue through the election.
As of yesterday, CNN’s president was still defending this stain on CNN’s reputation.
This is unacceptable.
CNN should cut ties with Lewandowski immediately.