Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is blasting CNN for “egregious interference with the Iowa GOP caucus” over a “fake” debate that the network is hosting on January 10.
Ramaswamy said that CNN told his campaign that “multiple qualifying polls that the RNC used for its debates wouldn’t count” for him to participate in theirs.
“CNN’s egregious interference with the Iowa GOP caucus is offensive,” Ramaswamy wrote in a post to X, the platform formerly known as “Twitter.”
The candidate continued, “My CNN town hall with the voters here went so well that they cut it off early & then threatened our campaign with a cease-and-desist for posting it on YouTube, while Nikki Haley’s scripted CNN town hall from 6 months ago is still up.”
CNN’s egregious interference with the Iowa GOP caucus is offensive. My CNN town hall with the voters here went so well that they cut it off early & then threatened our campaign with a cease-and-desist for posting it on YouTube, while Nikki Haley’s scripted CNN town hall from 6… https://t.co/bq6AfixpuR
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 30, 2023
“Then CNN notified our campaign within 48 hours that multiple qualifying polls that the RNC used for its debates wouldn’t count for CNN’s fake ‘debate’ that they’re hosting in Iowa on January 10,” Ramaswamy said. “The dishonesty needs to end.”
Ramaswamy participated in a townhall on the network hosted by Abby Phillip earlier this month.
CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be moderating the primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, lowa, on January 10 at 9 p.m. ET.
According to a report from the Des Moines Register, “To qualify, candidates must receive at least 10% support in three separate polls that meet CNN’s standards for reporting. One of the three qualifying polls must be an approved poll of Iowa likely Republican caucusgoers, like the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll.”
Additionally, the candidates must “fulfill the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States, file a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, and agree to accept the rules and format of the debate.”
The deadline to qualify is January 2.
“We are honored to continue playing a central role in the democratic process at Drake University,” Drake University President Marty Martin said in a press release. “Des Moines and Drake have long been a hub for political and civic engagement on the national stage, and we are excited to carry on that tradition leading into the 2024 election, inviting our students, our community, and thousands of visitors to engage in presidential politics.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have committed to the Iowa debate and appear to be the only ones participating.
NEW: @RonDeSantis accepts CNN’s debate in New Hampshire. This is the second debate invitation DeSantis has accepted in the Granite State.
Full statement pic.twitter.com/zpYZEgRovb
— Andrew Romeo (@andrewromeo33) December 29, 2023
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner by a large margin, will not participate in the debate — leaving it as a battle for second place.
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