‘It wasn't a drunk tweet': Terry Moran defends Stephen Miller ‘hater' post that led to his ABC News firing
Terry Moran is speaking out not only on the fateful tweets that resulted in ABC News firing him after 28 years of service, but he's also pushing back on the network's claim that his contract was set to expire and therefore made it easier for the news outlet to release him.
In Monday interviews with both The New York Times and The Bulwark, the veteran correspondent was unapologetic over the social media post in which he called Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, a 'world-class hater,' claiming it was an 'accurate and true' observation. He also swatted away suggestions that he was intoxicated when he sent out his late-night screed about Miller and Trump.
'It wasn't a drunk tweet,' he told the Times while flashing what they described as a 'lopsided grin' during their Zoom call.
According to Moran, who was quickly suspended by ABC News over the since-deleted tweet, the post came about during a 'normal family night' after he took a 'meditative' stroll through the woods with the family dog.
'I was thinking about our country, and what's happening, and just turning it over in my mind,' he said, adding that he decided to send out the tweet following a family dinner and movie. 'I wrote it, and I said, 'That's true.''
Within hours of the post, the White House demanded that the network take action over the 'absolutely vile smear,' urging ABC News to suspend or fire Moran. With right-wing media jumping on board the outrage train, the network announced that it had placed the longtime anchor and reporter on suspension.
Two days later, citing what it said 'was a clear violation of ABC News policies,' the network announced that Moran was out. At the same time, a network spokesperson asserted that Moran was at the end of his contract, and 'based on his recent post' ABC News 'made the decision not to renew.' Moran, however, is disputing that characterization.
Telling the Times it was 'incorrect,' he claimed that the network was 'bailing' on an oral agreement to extend his contract for another three years. 'We had a deal,' he added. Moran said that his lawyers are now in discussions with the network over the terms of his exit and severance package.
A representative for ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Moran, who announced shortly after his termination that he had joined Substack, said that he's already surpassed 90,000 new subscribers. This also includes thousands who have purchased paid subscriptions, which run $5 a month or $50 annually.
With many of his old ABC News colleagues reportedly shocked and outraged over his tweets, which Miller described as a 'full public meltdown,' Moran didn't directly address whether he felt that his social media posts made it more difficult for them to report on the administration. 'If they want to reach out, I'm happy to talk about that, but I'm not going to speak in the abstract,' he told the Times.
In a separate conversation with The Bulwark's Tim Miller, which was livestreamed Monday morning, Moran continued to defend the post that resulted in his termination while also pushing back on the notion of 'both-sides' journalism. Specifically, he said that journalists shouldn't feel that they have to give up their roles as citizens.
'Your job is not to be objective,' he told Miller. 'What you have to be is fair and accurate. I would say that, while very hot, is an observation that is accurate and true.'
With attention being placed on his political affiliation amid the fiery tweets about the Trump administration, Moran described himself as a 'Hubert Humphrey Democrat' before addressing the backlash to his posts.
'I was rocked, clearly, and full of fear and I realized that this was going to be a very serious situation and had to stand up and deal with it,' he said. In his conversation with the Times, Moran noted that while he 'thought it would hit a nerve,' he was still surprised that it quickly snowballed to him being fired.
'I wrote it because I thought it was true,' he declared to Miller. He also observed that his termination 'looked like a business decision' and he had become 'bad business,' prompting him to contemplate about the network's past capitulation to the president.
Saying that he wasn't initially worried when ABC's parent company Disney paid Trump $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit involving anchor George Stephanopoulos, he conceded he 'should have been' concerned at the time.
Meanwhile, Moran also discussed his high-profile and newsmaking interview with Trump, which took place just six weeks before the network fired him. According to the former Nightline anchor, his selection was 'accidental,' and it was apparent that the administration refused to sit down with other journalists at the network.
'I was kind of low man on the totem pole, and some of the others were knocked off,' he said. 'It was clear that I was not the first choice there.'During that interview, which featured the president demanding that Moran agree with his false assertion that Kilmar Abrego Garcia literally has 'MS-13' tattooed on his hand, Trump repeatedly suggested that he 'chose' Moran in hopes that he wouldn't challenge the president.
'They're giving you the big break of a lifetime, you know, you're doing the interview,' Trump said at one point. 'I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you, but that's OK… but you're not being very nice.'
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