Talk show host Hugh Hewitt was chosen Tuesday as one of the moderators for one of the first televised Republican presidential debates this fall,
according to a news release from Salem Radio Network.
"I am delighted to be included with journalists posing questions as part of one of America's finest political traditions, the presidential debate. These debates come at a critical time, and good questions will allow Republican primary voters the opportunity to see and hear their would-be nominees provide answers to issues that genuinely concern them," said Hewitt in a statement from Salem Radio, which syndicates "The Hugh Hewitt Show."
"Any reporter who is also a political junkie welcomes the chance to be on such a panel, which of course I do," added the 25-year veteran of broadcast journalism.
The collaboration between Salem Radio and CNN as the exclusive radio and television outlets for the three GOP presidential primary debates was sanctioned by the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Hewitt was recently involved in a heated debate with David Corn of the left-wing
Mother Jones over accusations he made in a recent article that Fox News host Bill O'Reilly misstated his experience as a correspondent for CBS News in coverage of the Falkland Islands.
Hewitt asked Corn to come on his radio program to discuss the piece, and began with a series of questions about Corn's views on Alger Hiss, as well as whether he transferred credits when he left Brown for Columbia University. The liberal writer was not pleased and tried to steer the questions to his piece on O'Reilly.
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"I’ll do the Bill O’Reilly thing here. I’ll start insulting you and not answering your questions if you don’t play this straight," Corn said angrily and then added, "I was told you’d play this straight, there’d be no games, and you know, you’re starting right off."
After a long back-and-forth, Corn hung up the phone when Hewitt asked him about the Venona Transcripts.
Heading toward the 2016 Republican primary,
the RNC was focused on placing strict limits and restrictions on the number of debates and which candidates would be able to participate. After much debate, the RNC announced it had sanctioned nine debates to be held beginning in August and continuing through March 1, 2016, according to the RNC.
According to the RNC release, the first debate will be hosted by Fox News and the second debate, moderated by Hewitt, will take place Sept. 16 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
In January,
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus appeared on Hewitt's syndicated radio program and discussed the guidelines the national committee would be following for the debates.
According to Priebus, in order to participate, a candidate must have at least 1 percent of the vote in Iowa, a limit intended to avoid the cattle-call debates in 2012.
The RNC-sanctioned debates will be one opportunity for the candidates to meet head-to-head. A number of forums are being worked out that will occur prior to the official debate schedule kicks off,
The Hill reported.
"Forums are great. We encourage them. If the Farm Bureau or Tea Party wants to have a forum with their members that's great," RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer told The Hill.
"For us, it's great these groups are reaching out and trying to make it work. We're talking to people literally on a daily basis," he added,
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