Both of the Flint, Mich. women who asked questions about the city’s lead-poisoned water during a March 6 Democratic debate hosted by CNN tell The Daily Caller that they did not talk to interim Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile ahead of the event.
That confirmation undermines CNN’s theory — floated to reporters on background — that Brazile, a network contributor at the time, may have learned of the debate question from one of the women at a charity event organized by the network the day before the debate.
CNN has also denied that a producer who coordinated logistics with the two women knew of the questions before the debate. But both of the women, Mikki Ward and LeeAnne Walters, tell TheDC that they indeed did provide their questions to the producer, Danelle Garcia. Further undercutting CNN’s claim is a news report published earlier this year which identified Garcia as handling questions for another Flint debate participant.
The new evidence raises questions over whether Brazile was leaked the question from someone at CNN.
Ward, a public housing supervisor, asked Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders the first question at the Flint. debate. She told TheDC on Tuesday that she has “never met or spoken to Donna Brazile.”
CNN revealed on Monday that it severed ties with Brazile on Oct. 14, three days after WikiLeaks released a stolen email showing that the Democratic operative leaked a CNN/TV One town hall question to the Clinton campaign ahead of a March 13 town hall. Brazile received the question from TV One host Roland Martin, other emails showed.
An email released on Monday provided the second example of Brazile tipping off the Clinton campaign. The leak has angered many Bernie Sanders supporters because Brazile had insisted during the primaries that she was neutral. The leaks also violate the strict rules that news networks have surrounding the protection of debate questions.
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SOURCE: CHUCK ROSS
The Daily Caller
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