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The Internet was atwitter today about the news that CNN has hired ex- Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to be a paid contributor offering political commentary this election season.
The concern is whether Lewandowski has an undisclosed conflict of interest that even CNN isn’t acknowledging.
When asked today by CNN’s Erin Burnett if he had signed a contract promising to protect “confidential” information about the Trump campaign, Lewandowksi said yes he had. (And good for Burnett, for asking.)
But then, Burnett showed a standard Trump non-disparagement agreement — stating that former employees couldn’t criticize Trump or his campaign — and Lewandowski bobbed and weaved, refusing to answer the question as to whether he’d signed one.
And that usually means the answer is “yes.”
Why does this matter? Because CNN may have just hired someone with an undisclosed conflict of interest. Lewandowksi may be legally bound to never say anything critical of Donald Trump or his campaign. That might mean that when Lewandowski is asked on CNN about a Trump snafu, or even a simple campaign strategy, he is legally bound to lie about it, lest he criticize the candidate or the campaign and break his secret oath.
The issue here isn’t that Lewandowski is a Republican. CNN has lots of Democrats and Republicans as on-air talent. But none of them are legally bound, as far as we know, to never ever say anything negative about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or either’s campaign.
It’s one thing to know one’s bias. It’s quite another to be asked about it outright, on the air, and to avoid answering the question entirely. Lewandowski couldn’t even give an honest answer about whether he can give an honest answer. And that’s just creepy.
Here’s the video of Lewandowski avoiding the question. Note that first Burnett asks Lewandowski about signing a document saying he would keep confidential information confidential. Lewandowski says “yes.” Then she asks him about a non-disparagement agreement, and Lewandowski refuses to answer.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of CNN. For example, Anderson Cooper’s heart-wrenching coverage of Orlando last week was award-winning, IMHO. But it’s precisely because I like CNN that I have to speak out on this one. It’s all just a bit too creepy. And we haven’t even discussed the rest of the allegations about him.
Follow me on Twitter: @aravosis — Win a pony! (not really)
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