'Punished for speaking truth': ABC slammed for giving George Stephanopoulos ultimatum as he claims Biden can’t do 4 more years

WASHINGTON, DC: George Stephanopoulos faced the possibility of being taken off the air unless he clarified his stance on President Joe Biden's capacity to serve another four years in office.

The ABC host provided a candid evaluation of the president's performance during a brief encounter when he was unexpectedly questioned on Tuesday, July 9.

What did George Stephanopoulos say about Joe Biden?

George Stephanopoulos, a former aide to Bill Clinton, was questioned on a Manhattan street about whether President Joe Biden should resign. He replied, "I don't think he can serve four more years."

Biden's interview with the former White House press secretary, conducted on Friday, July 5, came after the POTUS' challenging debate performance on June 27.

At 63, Stephanopoulos seemed to regret his impromptu comment immediately and issued a statement of apology. "Earlier today I responded to a question from a passerby. I shouldn't have," he said.

ABC News recently released a statement, which read, "George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News."

The two statements failed to disclose the turmoil triggered by Stephanopoulos' nine words within the upper echelons of the major network.

Debra O'Connell gave George Stephanopoulos an ultimatum to apologize

On the night of Tuesday, July 9, Debra O'Connell, the president of the news division, convened an urgent meeting with advisers and executives, which included public relations consultants, the Daily Mail reported.

"This was a fully-fledged crisis and it exploded with far-reaching reverberations," an insider told Radar Online.

Debra O'Connell then took Stephanopoulos into a private meeting and gave him an ultimatum -- apologize or be yanked off the air.

Stephanopoulos serves as the host of 'Good Morning America' and moderates the current affairs panel show 'This Week'. ABC executives were worried that the seasoned broadcaster's expression of a private opinion could critically compromise his perceived objectivity.

"[O'Connell told him] in no uncertain terms that he is a newsman who is expected to be objective," the insider said.

It further added, "She was furious that someone of George's experience and status would compromise the news division's impartiality, and subject it to unnecessary and embarrassing headlines. George backed Debra into a corner. If he did not apologize, how could he continue with his duties at ABC News without the network facing an avalanche of criticism."

ABC execs aware of damage caused by George Stephanopoulos

The insider believed that although George Stephanopoulos retracted his statement and downplayed it as a mere quip, the ABC executives were aware that the damage had already been inflicted.

"You can expect the Trump campaign and GOP to seize on this. You can also expect the White House to avoid ABC News moving forward. Biden will never sit down with Stephanopoulos ever again," they said.

President Biden's cognitive abilities have faced intense examination following his challenging presidential debate with Donald Trump. To address these concerns, he was interviewed by ABC News last Friday.

Despite completing the 22-minute interview without significant errors, it did not seem sufficient to alleviate doubts regarding his age or his prospects of winning against Trump on November 5.

The struggles have prompted calls for Biden to exit the race, yet he remains unwavering in his determination to continue. A senior Democratic aide, looking forward, advised ABC News that the President should "buckle up for a wild week."

ABC News blasted for giving ultimatum to George Stephanopoulos

As soon as the news of ABC News' ultimatum to George Stephanopoulos went viral, Daily Mail readers blasted the network for "punishing the host for speaking the truth."

One reader wrote in the comments section, "Wow. Not allowed to be honest anymore in the news. You have to just tow the Democrat line."

Another added, "Punished for speaking the truth. This should scare the k rap out of every American. This is not us-we are better than this."

One person said, "Dance puppet dance haha."

"Why can’t George have a personal opinion .. this is so ridiculous and 3rd world," another commented.

One individual remarked, "Evidently being "objective" means you adhere to the Party line."

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