CNN media reporter delivers brutal assessment of Chris Licht's tenure on the air: 'Series of severe missteps'
After CNN CEO Chris Licht stepped down from the network on Wednesday, CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy provided a searing postmortem on the former CNN boss’ short tenure there.
The husband of a member of CNN's new interim leadership team is a Biden administration official who also served a key position in Hillary Clinton's State Department.
Thomas Nides, the husband of CNN's executive vice president of editorial Virginia Moseley, was nominated by President Biden to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel in 2021, setting off concerns within CNN at the time of a possible conflict of interest. Moseley was named part of an interim leadership squad on Wednesday who hopes to bring stability to CNN after the firing of CEO Chris Licht, who lasted barely a year on the job.
Moseley has been with CNN since 2012, joining after an 18-year tenure at ABC that included roles as a senior producer for "Good Morning America" and senior political editor for ABC News. She ascended from an initial role at CNN's Washington bureau to overseeing all of CNN's breaking and domestic newsgathering.
US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides and his wife, Virginia Carpenter Moseley, at the US Independence Day celebration at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem, July 5, 2022. (David Azagury/US Embassy Jerusalem) ((David Azagury/US Embassy Jerusalem))
Her husband, who until 2021 was managing director and vice-chairman of Morgan Stanley, has been a player from the ground to the heights of Democratic politics for decades, holding positions as a Democratic congressional aide and also in Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign, the Clinton administration and the Obama administration.
He served in the State Department under Hillary Clinton from 2011 to 2013 as a deputy secretary of state for management, and was described in a 2016 Politico story about Clinton's possible choices for a White House Chief of Staff as a "top-tier manager with whom Clinton likes spending time." He also helped raise money for her 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns. The story, which was written with a tone suggesting Clinton's victory over Donald Trump was a virtual certainty, stipulated he was unlikely to take the job.
A New Yorker story in 2015 also discussed him at length as a key Democratic Wall Street figure who had won Clinton's confidence. The profile noted he was instrumental in preparing Clinton for her testimony to Congress about the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack.
Biden's nomination of Nides to the key ambassador post rankled some within CNN at the time.
"Inappropriate she stayed at CNN. He’s inner circle Biden," a media industry veteran told Fox News Digital when her husband accepted the nomination. CNN told Fox News Digital at the time that "Virginia will recuse herself from anything regarding Israel" when asked if Moseley’s husband creates a conflict of interest in her new role.
CNN did not respond to a request for additional comment regarding non-Israel news.
Chris Licht, now former chairman and CEO, CNN Worldwide, spoke onstage during the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2023 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on May 17, 2023 in New York City. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
It's not the first time a higher-up at CNN has had extensive connections to powerful Democrats. Former chief CNN Worldwide marketing executive Allison Gollust was director of communications for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from 2012 to 2013, when then-CNN President Jeff Zucker hired her at CNN.
Zucker was forced out last year after he admitted to not revealing a romantic relationship with Gollust, which the pair claimed began during the coronavirus pandemic. CNN staffers and outside observers alike never bought that explanation, as their relationship was said to be an "open secret" going back years throughout the media industry.
Moseley, EVP of talent and content development, Amy Entelis, EVP of U.S. programming Eric Sherling, and recently appointed chief operating officer David Leavy, will run CNN on an interim basis.
"While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team we have in place," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Insiders have told Fox News they expect them to bring stability after a year under Licht marked by internal and external tumult, with high-profile firings, layoffs and dissension in the ranks.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.