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Leadership

CNN Cuts Ties with Democratic Party Chief Donna Brazile Amid Leaked Emails

By
Mahita Gajanan
Mahita Gajanan
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By
Mahita Gajanan
Mahita Gajanan
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October 31, 2016, 2:04 PM ET
Democratic National Convention: Day Two
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 26: Interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, Donna Brazile delivers remarks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)Alex Wong—Getty Images

CNN has formally severed ties with former contributor Donna Brazile, saying it is “completely uncomfortable” with hacked emails indicating that she shared questions with Hillary Clinton’s campaign before a debate and town hall during the Democratic primary.

Brazile resigned after WikiLeaks posted hacked emails revealing the interim Democratic National Committee chair gave a question that would be asked of Clinton to the Democratic nominee’s campaign ahead of the March CNN Democratic debate. Another email shows Brazile shared a possible question with the campaign before a CNN town hall in March.

CNN had already suspended Brazile’s contract in July when she became the party’s interim chair. Network spokeswoman Lauren Pratapas said in a statement that CNN accepted Brazile’s resignation on Oct. 14.

“On Oct. 14th, CNN accepted Donna Brazile’s resignation as a CNN contributor. (Her deal had previously been suspended in July when she became the interim head of the DNC.)” Pratapas wrote. “CNN never gave Brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate. We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor.”

Brazile thanked the network in a Tweet.

Thank you @CNN. Honored to be a Democratic Strategist and commentator on the network. Godspeed to all my former colleagues.

— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) October 31, 2016

She also reminded her friends to check their voter status on IWillVote.com.

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By Mahita Gajanan
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