Donald Trump said he does not trust NBC News anchor Lester Holt as a presidential debate moderator because he's a Democrat – even though Holt is reportedly a registered Republican.
"Gaming the ref. That's what they are doing," Trump charged in a telephone interview Monday night with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly.
But Time magazine, citing New York State voter registration records, reported Holt has been a registered GOP voter since 2003.
"The O'Reilly Factor" exchange was transcribed in full by the Washington Post on Tuesday.
When O'Reilly asks about the upcoming debate, the GOP nominee told him he not only knows Holt, but he has "respect for Lester."
O'Reilly later noted the co-moderators of the second debate, Martha Raddatz of ABC News, and CNN's Anderson Cooper, are both Democrats.
Trump then asserted, "by the way, Lester is a Democrat," to which O'Reilly replied: "I didn't know that."
"Look, it's a phony system," Trump charged. "Lester is a Democrat. I mean they are all Democrats. Okay? It's a very unfair system…"
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