In the wake of The Washington Times report of campaign donations made by ABC employees, heavily favoring Pres. Obama, The New York Observer highlights some key figures on the list, from actress Christina Applegate to Barbara Walters’ hairdresser.
Two were ABC News employees, representing a small fraction of the entire list (“Of the $124,421 in donations, only $885 came from the news division”). One, a 20/20 producer, has left the network, while the other was Clarissa Ward, a foreign correspondent who joined the network from FNC in October 2007. She donated $500 over a two-week period in October 2008 to Obama’s campaign.
“I am mortified by my mistake,” she told the Observer. “I was new to ABC news. And I didn’t pay close enough attention to their longstanding policy.”