Work on debate schedule started last year: US debate commission
The US Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) responds to allegations by Republican candidate Donald Trump in regard to the debate schedule, over which he attacked his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
On Friday, the real estate mogul accused the former secretary of state of having rigged the debates so that two of them coincide with National Football League (NFL) games.
Later, Trump claimed that he received a letter from the NFL, complaining over the matter.
"I got a letter from the NFL saying, 'This is ridiculous. Why are the debates against? Because the NFL doesn't want to go against the debates," he told ABC News on Sunday.
According to one of his campaign members, the New York billionaire “was made aware of the conflicting dates by a source close to the league. It's unfortunate that millions of voters will be disenfranchised by these chosen dates."
Trump also took to Twitter, saying, “As usual, Hillary & the Dems are trying to rig the debates so 2 are up against major NFL games.”
The CPD, however, released a statement, saying it “started working more than 18 months ago to identify religious and federal holidays, baseball league playoff games, NFL games, and other events in order to select the best nights for the 2016 debates.”
“It is impossible to avoid all sporting events, and there have been nights on which debates and games occurred in most election cycles. A debate has never been rescheduled as a result.”
The Commission added that it “selects the debate dates a year in advance in order for the television networks to have maximum lead time and predictability in scheduling these extremely important civic education forums… The CPD believes the dates for the 2016 debates will serve the American public well.”
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