September 21, 2016 | No Comments
Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski will be paid by the campaign through the end of 2016, heightening concerns of a conflict of interest for CNN, which controversially hired Lewandowski in June to serve as a political commentator.
In addition, CNN shot down reports on Wednesday that Lewandowski was being suspended by the channel.
“The campaign will continue to honor its contract with Mr. Lewandowski, which stipulates he will be paid through the end of the year,” Trump press secretary Hope Hicks told The Washington Post Wednesday. “These payments are in no way compensation for services rendered.”
The Post reported that Lewandowski was paid $20,000 in August for “strategy consulting,” in addition to being paid by CNN for appearing on the channel. The description of the payment as “strategy consulting” appeared to contradict CNN’s claim that Lewandowski had been being paid by the Trump campaign only for severance.
Mediaite on Wednesday reported that Lewandowski was being suspended by the channel following the new statement, but a spokesperson for the cable channel said the report was false, and that Lewandowski would be appearing on-air later today.
CNN president Jeff Zucker had for months defended the cable channel’s decision to hire Lewandowski. On Tuesday, the cable network head said at a company town hall for staff that the network “needed to bring in voices supportive of the Republican nominee to balance its commentary ranks,” The Huffington Post reported.
Lewandowski has signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Trump campaign. As POLITICO reported earlier this month, Lewandowski has been playing a wider role in the campaign recently, even if he is technically not an official part of it.