Hillary Clinton Ally: Drop Fox News Presidential Debate Moderator Chris Wallace Over Conflict of Interest

A close ally of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is calling for the Commission on Presidential Debates to pull Fox News anchor Chris Wallace from his role as a moderator of the final debate in October, citing a conflict of interest.

David Brock, a Clinton ally who founded the pro-Clinton super PACs Correct the Record and American Bridge 21st Century, wrote in a letter to the commission obtained by Politico that Wallace has a conflict of interest because former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes is informally advising Donald Trump and, specifically, helping him prepare for the upcoming debates.

"It is a glaring conflict of interest that Roger Ailes, who resigned from Fox News in July, simultaneously provides advice to Donald Trump while serving as a paid adviser to Fox News chief Rupert Murdoch — debate moderator Chris Wallace’s boss," wrote Brock.

Although Ailes resigned from Fox News over a sexual harassment scandal, he is also still advising 21st Century Fox executive co-chairman and acting Fox News CEO Rupert Murdoch through 2018, according to his separation agreement.

Brock noted that no Fox News employee should be allowed to moderate a debate given the relationships between Trump and the news organization.

"I am disappointed that an organization that prides itself on being non-partisan would make such a selection. I would respectfully ask that you reconsider your selection of Chris Wallace — or any current Fox News employee — as a presidential debate moderator until Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch cut ties with Roger Ailes."

Wallace is the first Fox News anchor to be selected as a moderator of a general election debate, but Brock said that the anchor's recent comments should be even more reason to exclude him.

Last week in an interview with Fox News colleague Howard Kurtz, Wallace said he would not press the candidates to be truthful during the debate.

"That’s not my job," Wallace said. “I do not believe that it’s my job to be a truth squad. It's up to the other person to catch them on that. I certainly am going to try to maintain some semblance of equal time if one of them is filibustering, I'm going to try to break in respectfully and give the other person a chance to talk."

Trump appears pleased with Wallace's approach. In an interview on Russian-owned RT American with Larry King on Thursday night, Trump praised Wallace for being "very good at what he does" and agreed with Wallace that "candidates should police themselves."

Last month, Clinton was said to be hunkered down for debate preparation because of uncertainty over Trump's style and strategy.

"I'm running against someone who will say or do anything ... and who knows what that might be," Clinton said. "I do not know which Donald Trump will show up."

She added: "Maybe he will try to be presidential and try to convey a gravity that he hasn't done before or will he come in and try to insult and try to score some points."

Last week, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Friday the lineup to moderate this year's presidential debates: Lester Holt, Martha Raddatz, Anderson Cooper and Chris Wallace.

Holt, the anchor of the "NBC Nightly News," will moderate the first debate on Sept. 26; Raddatz of ABC News and Cooper of CNN will moderate the town hall debate on Oct. 9; and Wallace of Fox News will moderate the Oct. 19 debate.

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