“We want to have debates that are fair and are more geared toward informing the American people than to boosting the careers of the moderators,” Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said. Campaigns have raised concerns with the commission before, but officials said it had never happened this early in the process. Trump’s unhappiness with the debate commission stems from his experience during the 2016 campaign, with at least two factors contributing to his feelings. Commission officials noted that the Trump campaign had earlier agreed that those two seating areas were only for family, not other guests, and rebuffed the effort after some heated exchanges. Commission officials say they pick individual journalists, primarily those with television experience, not to represent their networks but because of their own professional reputations.

Source: Washington Post January 24, 2020 20:25 UTC