ABC’s Linsey Davis admits fact-checking of Trump was because CNN let his statements ‘hang’ at first debate

ABC News anchor Linsey Davis admitted in a post-debate interview that her fact-checking of former President Trump was influenced by the earlier CNN debate that went disastrously for President Biden. 

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, David said she wanted to address concerns that Trump’s statements could be allowed to “hang” there unchallenged by his opponent or the moderators, as they were when Trump and Biden debated on CNN in June.

“Davis, wearing pink glasses while speaking to The Times over breakfast at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia, said the decision to attempt to correct the candidates was in response to the June 27 CNN debate between Trump and President Biden, whose poor performance led to his exit from the race,” the Times reported.

“People were concerned that statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by the candidate Biden, at the time, or the moderators,” Davis told the outlet on Wednesday morning.

ABC’S LINSEY DAVIS RAISES EYEBROWS WITH ABORTION FACT-CHECK AGAINST TRUMP: ‘COMPLETELY INTERJECTS HERSELF’

ABC Presidential Debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. (ABC News)

The LA Times gushed over Davis in the profile, calling her a “rising star” who “held Trump’s feet to the fire.”

In one viral moment, Davis sternly told Trump that “there is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born,” after Trump invoked former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s remarks in 2019 suggesting a live baby could be killed after being born, following a “discussion” between the physician and the mother. 

While liberals celebrated the moment, one pro-life group demanded a correction from ABC News, saying Davis’ comments were “100% inaccurate.”

Since the debate, both Muir and Davis have been slammed by critics for appearing biased towards Vice President Kamala Harris. The debate moderators fact-checked Trump five times and failed to correct Harris a single time on Tuesday evening. 

Trump alleged bias by the ABC moderators as well, telling Fox & Friends on Wednesday, “It was three to one. It was a rigged deal as I assumed it would be.”

Despite zero fact-checks for Harris, Davis insisted that her team intended to fact-check both candidates throughout the course of the night.

The LA Times stated, “With co-moderator David Muir, Davis had studied hours of campaign rallies and interviews to prepare for the much-anticipated event at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, and were ready to counter the candidates’ most egregious statements.”

FOX NEWS MEDIA PROPOSES SECOND HARRIS-TRUMP DEBATE MODERATED BY MARTHA MACCALLUM, BRET BAIER

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris squared off in the ABC Presidential Debate on Tuesday.  (Screenshot: Fox News simulcast of ABC News Presidential Debate)

Davis countered accusations of bias by stating that she and Muir could not catch every misstatement, the Times reported, without noting that none of Harris’ incorrect statements received rebukes.

Elsewhere in the article, the outlet noted how Davis simply ignored the criticism that she was helping Harris, reporting that she shut off her social media accounts.

“There is a stereotype that I am acutely aware of that I can’t be unbiased covering this moment. And the anonymous Instagram people serve as reminders every day,” Davis said.

Fox News Digital reached out to ABC News for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood contributed to this report.

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