ABC News in Crisis: Stephanopoulos ‘Outraged’ Over $15M Settlement, Staff in Turmoil

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos reportedly feels “apoplectic” as well as “humiliated”, after Disney CEO Bob Iger approved an agreement with Donald Trump for $15 million, plus another $1 mil in legal fees.

 

George is not pleased about the payout, which is an embarrassment to the former Clinton aide.

 

Sources with knowledge of the incident said that Stephanopoulos was especially upset at being made to apologize for his claim that Trump had raped E. Jean Carroll in an interview with Republican legislator Nancy Mace.

 

According to a second source, The Post reported that George is “defiant.”

 

 

Third source: Stephanopoulos is “a very guarded individual.” His circle of trusted people is very small and many of them no longer work at ABC.

 

We’ve already reported that the anchor and network have been tight-lipped on the issue:

 

He deactivated the X account where he had over 2.3 million fans.

 

First source: Some ABC News employees were angry at the management for not allowing the coverage of the settlement to be open.

 

The source complained that ABC didn’t cover itself, even though it was “front-page news everywhere”.

 

As pundit Byron York points out, it wasn’t a simple slip of the mouth.

 

 

Stephanopoulos’ interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC in March — when he made his first false rape allegation — was one of the most shaming and biased attempts at journalism you will ever see.

 

 

Stephanopoulos’s not the only person at the network unhappy with the fiasco. It sounds like many staffers are wailing into their pillows about the humiliation.

 

Disney’s settlement of President-elect Donald Trump’s defamation suit against ABC News was meant to relieve it from a major headache. It has instead sparked an internal backlash.

 

The decision of ABC News to settle the lawsuit rather than go to court and fight Trump’s allegations against the network, and its anchor George Stephanopoulos is frustrating for many journalists and producers.

 

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According to sources familiar with the situation, Disney CEO Bob Iger has approved the settlement. It was recommended by Disney General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez. The settlement was reached after a scheduled session of mediation last week. Stephanopoulos had been set to be deposed by this week.

 

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ABC News staffers expressed concern that it set a precedent that was unfavorable for media companies. They also feared that the settlement sent a message to their journalists that Disney prioritizes its corporate interests over those of its journalists.

 

They may have known that Trump would be a formidable opponent and decided to cut their losses.

 

If anyone had any feelings of sympathy for Stephanopoulos or ABC, one only needs to look at their track record in gaslighting the American public and becoming Exhibit A on the progressive bias of the media. David Muir, Linsey Davies, and Kamala Harri were on Kamala’s team in the September debate. It often felt like a three-on-one tag team against Trump.

 

Stephanopoulos, and perhaps some of his colleagues, have not learned anything from this incident. They should learn, but will not, that it isn’t enough to say someone was convicted of rape, and then continue to insist on this claim when it’s not true.

 

Variety reports that he could have a snit and leave.

 

Insiders at ABC don’t know if Stephanopoulos will remain on the network after the recent events. Sources claim that Stephanopoulos is vocal about his dissatisfaction with the settlement and apology.

 

George, if you had been a straightforward and honest journalist, they would not have needed to pay all of this money or beg for forgiveness.