Critics Claim ‘Conflict Of Interest’ After Biden Names Spouse Of CNN Exec As Ambassador

Critics are citing a potential "conflict of interest" following news that President Biden has nominated Thomas Nides, husband of CNN senior vice president of newsgathering Virginia Moseley, as ambassador to Israel.

Critics are citing a potential “conflict of interest” following news that President Biden has nominated Thomas Nides, husband of CNN senior vice president of newsgathering Virginia Moseley, as ambassador to Israel.

The Wall Street Journal weeks ago indicated that Nides would be getting the nod, citing his credentials as a “veteran diplomat and Wall Street executive.”

Biden made it official Tuesday, announcing Nides along with eight other nominations for ambassadorships.

Fox News reports that the selection of the spouse to a top CNN executive raised some eyebrows amongst those who monitor media and ethics.

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Spouse Of CNN Exec Nominated As Ambassador To Israel

Media critic Jeffrey McCall spoke with Fox News about what he sees as a situation that “present(s) a conflict of interest” for the network.

“To the average American news consumer, this sort of appointment just confirms the suspicions that the government bureaucracy is linked with establishment media, damaging the credibility of both entities in the process,” McCall remarked on Nides nomination as Ambassador to Israel.

Lois Boynton, an Associate Professor who teaches ethics and public relations classes at the University of North Carolina, also spoke with Fox about CNN’s potential ethical conundrum.

“The situation does raise concerns about conflict of interest, which is something any network must address, regardless of their trust in their personnel to be fair in determining what they cover and how they cover it,” Boynton explained.

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Not CNN’s First Conflict Of Interest

The nomination of Thomas Nides, husband of CNN’s senior vice president of newsgathering, isn’t the network’s first issue in dealing with a significant conflict of interest.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has also been embroiled in controversy for having advised his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on how to deal with sexual harassment allegations.

Cuomo, as per multiple sources for the Washington Post, “joined a series of conference calls that included the Democratic governor, his top aide, his communications team, lawyers and a number of outside advisers” on “how to respond to sexual harassment allegations.”

Advising a sitting Democratic governor while simultaneously pretending to be impartial on a news network is an egregious breach of journalistic standards, even for CNN.

McCall also spoke to Fox News shortly after the election expressing his dismay regarding a revolving door of pundits who were joining the Biden White House.

“Several of Biden’s new appointments are people who served in government, then went to media gigs, and now are returning to government,” McCall argued at the time.

“This sort of constant migration back and forth between media and government gives the public the distinct impression that government and media are basically part of the same establishment,” he added.

Nides was was one of Biden’s biggest campaign bundlers during his presidential run, served as former deputy secretary of State under President Barack Obama, and was a close advisor to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

 

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Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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