A new report has revealed a potential conflict of interest involving CBS debate moderator Margaret Brennan, whose husband, Yado Yakub, worked as a “strategic advisor” for the anti-Trump Lincoln Project in 2020. Yakub, who also donated to the Lincoln Project’s PAC, is raising concerns about Brennan’s neutrality during a debate between Republican Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D-MN). The debate, which aired on CBS, sparked controversy when Brennan interrupted and fact-checked Vance multiple times, leading many viewers to accuse her of bias.
During the debate, Brennan broke a network pledge to avoid fact-checking when she questioned Vance’s statements about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. The exchange resulted in CBS cutting off Vance’s microphone, allowing co-moderator Norah O’Donnell to take over. Critics compared this incident to last month’s ABC-hosted vice-presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, where Republicans similarly felt that moderators unfairly targeted their candidate.
The Lincoln Project, known for its vehement opposition to Trump, was founded by former Republican strategists who objected to Trump’s leadership. However, the group has been mired in controversy, most notably after its co-founder, John Weaver, was accused of sexual misconduct in 2021. The fallout from that scandal led to several high-profile exits from the organization.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records published on Free Republic, Yakub donated $500 to the Lincoln Project during the 2020 election cycle, contributing $250 on two separate occasions. While Yakub is registered as a Republican and Brennan as an independent, many noted that party registration doesn’t always align with political preferences. The Lincoln Project was particularly vocal in opposing Trump’s presidency and supported Democrat candidates.
Yakub’s involvement with the Lincoln Project, combined with his donations to ActBlue in 2019 in support of Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, has fueled speculation that Brennan’s moderation could be influenced by anti-Trump sentiments. Criticism of Brennan’s performance during the debate has been widespread. Many accused her of interrupting Vance more frequently than she did Walz, claiming that her fact-checks were often incorrect or biased. Vance, for instance, was grilled on the issue of family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, a topic that has been a flashpoint under the Biden administration.
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris administration has faced a surge in illegal immigration, with more than seven million people crossing both the southern and northern borders since January 2021. The United States set records for illegal immigration in both 2022 and 2023, and while numbers remain high in 2024, many argue that Biden’s policies have only worsened the crisis.
“We have a historic immigration crisis because Kamala Harris said she wanted to undo all of Donald Trump’s border policies,” Vance said during the debate. “That has opened the floodgates.”
Critics of the debate also pointed to other instances where Brennan and O’Donnell seemed to favor Walz, giving him more straightforward and less confrontational questions.
