Alex Marquardt Out At CNN After He 'Destroyed the Reputation' of Navy Vet in Defamation Lawsuit That Cost Network $5Million
Alex Marquardt has announced he is leaving CNN.
June 2 2025, Published 4:55 p.m. ET
Longtime CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt has announced he is leaving the network just months after his reporting on a U.S. Navy veteran was found to be defamatory, RadarOnline.com can report.
Marquardt's debunked claims that the veteran was illegally exploiting Afghans cost the struggling cable channel $5million in settlement money.
Resigned or Fired?
Marquardt, who had been at the cable news network for the past eight years, shared on X, tweeting: "Some personal news: I’m leaving CNN after 8 terrific years. Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business.
"Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad."
Last July, the journalist testified he had "no evidence" linking the decorated Navy veteran to the black market trade of Afghan refugees before airing a report that sparked a $1billion defamation lawsuit against the embattled network.
Some media insiders contend Marquardt's sudden departure was not necessarily his idea. Blogger Oliver Darcy tweeted: "CNN has dismissed its chief national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt, citing editorial differences."
Controversial Promotion
A military vet alleged CNN 'published defamatory statements' that ruined his reputation.
Marquardt was promoted to be the network's chief national security correspondent in 2023, despite the ongoing litigation against him and the network at the time.
Two years earlier, U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young claimed the network pushed a "false narrative" about him and "destroyed his reputation" during a segment in which he was accused of being an "illegal profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans."
The controversy erupted during a segment on The Lead with Jake Tapper in 2021, in which Jake Tapper informed viewers Marquardt found "Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success."
Young was then accused of being a "human trafficker" and a "war profiteer."
Following the allegations, Young filed a $1billion lawsuit arguing the episode wrongly portrayed him as a profiteer, when he maintained he worked to help desperate Afghans flee the country.
CNN Says Sorry
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Marquardt was named CNNs' chief national security correspondent amid the controversy.
CNN issued a correction five months after the broadcast saying the term "black market" was used "in error."
But text messages exposed during the court battle revealed that show staffers called Young a "s---bag" and "a------" while conceding the story was "full of holes like Swiss cheese" and "very much not ready for prime time."
Marquardt even reportedly quipped to a colleague: "It’s your funeral bucko," in reference to Young, before the broadcast.
In January, a Florida jury awarded Young $5million.
After the verdict, CNN said at the time: "We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case."
