Bob Iger, the head of Disney, reportedly gave the green light to the decision to part ways with seasoned ABC News correspondent Terry Moran after he criticized Trump’s aide, Stephen Miller.
The involvement of Iger and Dana Walden, co-chairs of Disney Entertainment, along with one of Iger’s successors, underscored the significant ramifications of Moran’s controversial comments, as noted by a source.
Moran was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, with the network announcing it would not extend his contract, which was set to expire on Friday.
Iger and Walden backed the choice to sever ties with the veteran journalist.
ABC’s parent company had already faced a financial hit, paying over $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump against the network last December.
Earlier this week, reports indicated that Moran’s colleagues at ABC News felt “offended” by the damage to the network’s reputation resulting from his remarks in a social media post.
Moran referred to Miller as a “world-class asshole” and accused him of possessing a “blessed ability to hate,” which clearly ignited a strong reaction.
This sparked considerable debate online, drawing attention from both ABC leadership and the Trump administration.
Within hours, Rick Klein, ABC News Vice President and Washington Director, reached out to Moran urging him to retract his comments, according to reports.
Moran has since deleted the tweet.
However, the fallout continued.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned Moran’s statements as “ignorant and unacceptable” and communicated with ABC to express concerns over his accountability.
Klein consulted with senior executives and the ABC News Legal and Standards Team regarding the matter.
Having joined ABC News in 1997, Moran was swiftly suspended.
The network released a statement emphasizing that it does not condone personal attacks and that Moran’s post did not align with ABC’s standards.
John Santucci, executive editorial producer at ABC News, had frequently interacted with Trump officials and was in touch with the administration regarding Moran’s comments.
Santucci also played a role in setting up an interview between Moran and Trump earlier this year.
Some within ABC felt that Moran’s posts exacerbated political tensions, complicating their work. Despite his notable achievements, including reporting on the Supreme Court and interviewing Trump, his career seemed to come to an end.
A source familiar claimed the decision to remove Moran was not a result of pressure from the Trump administration.
ABC News has not publicly commented further on the matter, while inquiries have been made to both Disney and the White House.
On Thursday, Moran updated his social media profile to label himself an “independent journalist” and connected to a newsletter.
He has a history of expressing candid views on political topics, both in private and publicly.
Not long before his ousting, he posted about the former president’s threats against conservative legal standards, implying that Trump would destroy them if they crossed him.
Meanwhile, the network has been actively trying to mend its relationship with Trump’s camp following the settlement of a lawsuit connected to past allegations against Trump, which he continues to deny.
