CNN White House correspondent and political analyst April Ryan pulled out as moderator of a campaign event for 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg on Friday after receiving backlash for being on the bill for what turned out to be a fundraiser.
As soon as critics pointed out that Ryan was participating in a fundraiser, Ryan clarified that she would not be participating.
“I agreed to interview Pete Buttigieg this weekend — the campaign was not clear that the venue would be a fundraiser,” Ryan tweeted. “We’ll be rescheduling the interview to a more appropriate time/place. Looking forward to asking him the tough questions the [American Urban Radio Network] audience wants answers to.”
What was billed as a “grassroots event” was slated to be a one-on-one sit-down between the journalist and the South Bend, Ind. mayor. It was scheduled for Saturday in Washington, D.C. Tickets ranged from $15 to $500.
Ryan, who is an outspoken critic of President Trump, recently posted about her relationship with Buttigieg, revealing he invited her as his guest to the Congressional Black Caucus dinner.
“Thank you @PeteButtigieg for inviting me to be your guest at the CBC Dinner,” Ryan said. “The last time I was invited to the dinner by a presidential candidate was @barackobama. You know what happened after that!”
