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ABC News has suspended veteran Washington correspondent David Wright for remarks he made that were captured on video by Project Veritas.
Wright was disciplined after higher-ups at ABC News reviewed footage in which Wright describes himself as a "socialist" and appears to criticize the network for the way in which it chooses to present the news.
“I feel terrible about it. I feel that the truth suffers, the voters are poorly informed, and people also have the opportunity to tune into whatever they want to hear,” Wright said in the video, which also features an ABC News producer.
“And so, it’s like there’s no upside, or our bosses don’t see an upside in doing the job we’re supposed to do, which is to speak truth to power and hold people accountable.”
Wright was disciplined by higher-ups at ABC News. (ABC/ RANDY SAGER)
The veteran reporter expounded at length on his political views. "I would consider myself a socialist, like I think there should be national health insurance," he said. "I’m totally fine with reining in corporations, I think they’re too many billionaires, and I think there’s a wealth gap – that’s a problem.”
ABC NEWS' AMY ROBACH CAUGHT ON HOT MIC SAYING NETWORK SPIKED HER EPSTEIN BOMBSHELL
In the hidden video that Project Veritas said was filmed in New Hampshire during its primary's coverage, Wright, 56, also called President Trump "a d---" while simultaneously complaining that Trump is sometimes not given "credit for what things he does do."
Wright did not respond to Fox News' request for comment. A rep for ABC News told Fox News he would be reassigned after serving his suspension.
"Any action that damages our reputation for fairness and impartiality or gives the appearance of compromising it harms ABC News and the individuals involved," the rep said. "David Wright has been suspended, and to avoid any possible appearance of bias, he will be reassigned away from political coverage when he returns."
I would consider myself a socialist, like I think there should be national health insurance
An ABC insider told Fox News that Wright had been hoodwinked into making his statements on camera.
“Wright and the producer didn’t know who they were talking to. Didn’t know they were being recorded," the insider said. "The person introduced himself as a documentary filmmaker and didn’t say he was recording.”
Wright's recorded comments come during a heated presidential race in which Social Democrat Bernie Sanders has emerged as the early frontrunner to take on Republican Donald Trump. Sanders expressed admiration for some of the accomplishments of communist Cuban leader Fidel Castro in an interview with "60 Minutes" on Sunday, and was booed during the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night when he repeated his praise of Cuba's educational system under Castro.
Project Veritas’ founder James O’Keefe teased the Wright footage in a tweet on Tuesday.
“Not long ago we exposed the #EpsteinCoverup within #ABC. Tomorrow, @Project_Veritas will expose ABCNews’ agenda to mislead voters and push their own narratives,” he wrote. “You aren’t going to want to miss it.”
In the tweet, O’Keefe referenced a video he published in November 2019 that showed ABC News anchor Amy Robach claiming higher-ups at her network killed a story that would have exposed the now-deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein three years ago.
“I’ve had the story for three years… we would not put it on the air,” Robach said on set on a hot mic. “It was unbelievable what we had, Clinton, we had everything.”
In October 2019, O’Keefe also released undercover recordings that captured CNN employees casually confirming the network's anti-Trump bias.
Project Veritas, which frames itself as a conservative whistleblower watchdog group, has previously released what it claims to be hidden camera footage of network news producers, federal politicians, and members of private political organizations making statements while unaware they were being recorded.
According to his network bio, Wright joined ABC News in 2000 and has appeared regularly in recent years on “World News Tonight,” “Nightline,” “Good Morning America” and other ABC News platforms.
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