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BREAKING NEWS

ABC and Kamala 'Conspiracy' Claim: Network Insists It Didn’t Break Rules After Viral 'Whistleblower Affidavit' Claims Harris Was Secretly Helped in Trump Debate

Composite photo of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Source: MEGA

ABC News is denying it schemed to help Kamala Harris take down Donald Trump on the debate stage.

Sept. 17 2024, Published 7:19 p.m. ET

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ABC News is denying it schemed to help Kamala Harris take down Donald Trump on the debate stage.

RadarOnline.com can reveal the conspiracy theory has gained traction in right wing circles after being picked up and pushed out by Trump himself, while a growing chorus denounces it as false.

As polls and pundits overwhelmingly agreed Harris had taken the upper hand during the showdown, Trump and his supporters accused ABC and its "biased" moderators of "rigging" the event against the former president.

Conservative influencer Philip Anderson added fuel to the fire when he shared an unverified document on social media, claiming it was a sworn affidavit from an "anonymous whistleblower" detailing the ways ABC allegedly gave Harris an unfair advantage ahead of the September 10 debate in Philadelphia.

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kamala harris donald trump presidental debate
Source: MEGA

Trump walked back his allegations about Harris' race during their September debate.

The document claimed that before the event, Harris was told what questions would be asked, promised she would be given a smaller podium, and assured she would be fact-checked less vigorously than Trump.

In response to right-wing outrage sparked by the purported affidavit, the network released a statement saying: "ABC News followed the debate rules that both campaigns agreed on and which clearly state: No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates."

An ABC News spokesperson doubled down on the denial, telling the Daily Beast: "Absolutely not. Harris was not given any questions before the debate."

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Source: Truth Social

The former president has continued to push the narrative despite denials from ABC News.

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Moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis also insisted they made no agreement to more aggressively fact-check Trump's responses after being called "agents of the Harris campaign" by some Republicans.

But these denials were apparently not convincing enough for Trump to back down from the narrative.

After dodging his second attempted assassination in under two months, the former president took to his Truth Social page to denounce the "Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust" he said was spreading through the country. He blamed, in-part, the "false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate".

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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
Source: MEGA

Trump declined Harris' offer for a second debate hosted by Fox News.

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Trump even took the claims a step further at a Las Vegas rally shortly after the debate, where he said he "heard" Harris had "something in her ear", suggesting she was being fed answers through an earpiece.

Social media was rife with similar accusations, including from right-wing pundit Megyn Kelly, who hinted Harris had an edge over Trump because of her friendship with Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden.

She said: "The person who runs ABC News is a close personal friend of Kamala Harris that is responsible for Kamala Harris and her husband meeting."

Kelly expressed being "ashamed of those moderators at ABC News", saying they "did exactly what their bosses wanted them to do."

Walden dismissed the notion, telling media outlets her relationship with the vice president did not lead to a biased debate.

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Source: X

At a Las Vegas rally, Trump took the claims a step further and suggested Harris was being fed answers through an earpiece.

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Trump ally Robert F. Kennedy Jr. echoed Kelly, saying the moderators were "clearly biased" and "constantly fact-checking Donald Trump."

The Washington Post polled "uncommitted, swing-state voters" before and after the event and found that most of the respondents "thought Harris performed better, regardless of how they plan to vote in November."

Out of 12 participants who said they would "probably" vote for Harris before the debate, five switched their answers to "definitely" voting for the Democrat after watching the showdown. And of the nine people who said they were leaning toward a vote for Trump, none changed their answers to "definitely" voting for the Republican after the debate.

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In the wake of her success, the vice president's campaign wasted no time challenging her rival to another showdown. Despite Harris suggesting the Fox News stage — his preferred network — as the venue, Trump declined.

He declared in a Truth Social post the VP wanted a rematch because he was "clearly" the winner of the first debate.

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